Street of the Seven Crosses

Calle García Moreno is one of the oldest streets in Quito. Following the route of what was once a sacred Inca path, it is now known by two names: one referring to the Catholic crosses built along the street, and the other to the president assassinated on it.

The initial urban development of colonial Quito (founded in 1534) posed a few problems for the Spanish conquistadors. Crisscrossed by creeks and ravines, and with a range of different elevations, it wasn’t easy for the Spanish town planners to lay out the classic grid plan that defines so many colonial towns and cities in the Americas.