San Agustin

The church and convent of San Agustin features a bell tower capped with a slender, white lantern that pierces the Quito skyline. Founded in fifteen seventy-three, this complex served as the headquarters for the Augustinian order in the region. During the late eighteenth century, the colonial government signed the declaration of independence from Spain inside the convent’s chapter house. The thick stone walls kept the conspirators hidden from royalist soldiers who patrolled the streets outside just a few blocks away.