Basílica del Voto Nacional

The Basílica del Voto Nacional features gargoyles shaped like native Ecuadorian animals, including iguanas, tortoises, and armadillos, perched high among the traditional gothic stone. It remains the largest neo-gothic basilica in the Americas. Construction began in eighteen ninety-two, funded entirely by public donations. Workers exchanged bricks for cash during the long building process. Legend claims that when the last stone is placed, the world will come to an end, so the final touches remain intentionally unfinished to this day.