El Panecillo

On a mountain in the middle of Quito is El Panecillo, the Virgin de Quito--the saint of the city. Only when looking down from the top today and seeing the sprawling city below me did I realize that I was in a CITY. An unban environment--a new metropolis. Having never really undertaken a journey such as this, I guess I forgot to take stock of the first stop as I would when taking a two week vacation, trying to cram in the sights, the cities... I had taken several days to venture about the city but somehow missed the whole city notion.

An Ecuadorian named Jonathon explained to me the lay of the land. To the south, on the back side of the Virgin live the working class. In the historic center of Quito--the old town--live the poorest of Quito. While Jonathon did not draw any correlation, it's interesting that those with the least lie in direct gaze of the Virgin, as though she keeps them closest, a mother to those with the hardest lot. To the north live the middle/upper class of Quito. They are out of her sight, not needing her protection any longer.

From the top of the mountain, I peered just over the railing and watched two men hoist an antennae up the hill, rigging up better reception for their televion, I imagine.

Dogs roam the streets here, no home, no food, no friends, just roaming the land. I haven't seen people sleeping in the streets like New York, only dogs.