The Bohemian Village of Guapulo, Ecuador

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On day two of their tour of the valleys outside Quito, Ecuador, Sarah Dettman and Jonathan Hall of Experience Ecuador (www.experience-ecuador.com) take International Living editors Suzan Haskins and Dan Prescher through the historic village of Guapulo.

Today the city of Quito, Ecuador, is a thriving metropolis of over 1.6 million people sitting in a valley of the Andes Mountains at 9,000 feet above sea level. But in the 1500s, it was a Spanish colonial administrative center of newly conquered Incan territory. From here, Francisco de Orellana undertook an expedition east to discover the "Land of Cinnamon." His road took him down the eastern ridge of the Quito and through the valley of Guapulo. Orellana went on to complete the first known navigation through the length of the Amazon River.

The sanctuary of Guapulo was built a century later and is still a major pilgrimage site for devotees of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Today the little village of Guapulo is an artsy bohemian community where writers, painters, sculptors and other artists have taken up residence. The steep, winding main street through town... the same path Orellana took when he left for the Amazon... is now lined with colorful store fronts and studios.

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Travel & Events

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• InternationalLiving
• Ecuador
• Quito
• Guapulo
• Dan
• Prescher
• Suzan
• Haskins