The Ecuadorian capital will this year mark another event in the country's struggle for independence with the commemoration of the uprising of 1809 on 10th August and the massacre of patriots of 1810 on 2nd August, with cultural events across the capital, sure to be boon for anyone visiting!
On the 2nd August 1810, a terrible massacre of patriots, sympathisers, women and children took place in Quito, which sealed the fate of the first attempt to free the region from the Spanish yoke which had begun a year earlier with the uprising of August 1809. This established that placed Juan Pío Montúfar as president with various other prominent figures in other positions of government.
On the fateful night of 2nd August, imperial troops posted to Quito killed the patriot leaders that had been incarcerated in the prison just to the south of the Governor's palace off the main Plaza Grande. Having killed them, they set about massacring many other citizens. The total slain is thought to have been around 300.
A chain of conflicts continued for the next decade, not concluding until May 24, 1822, when Antonio José de Sucre, under the command of Simón Bolívar, led troops into the Battle of Pichincha. Their victory marked the independence of Quito and the surrounding areas.
The agenda for the events at the beginning of August is yet to be confirmed, but information will be available at www.quito.com.ec
Our new tour, "Quito, a journey through art and history" is a new way to find out more about the struggle for independence in Quito: http://www.metropolitan-touring.com/content.asp?id_page=2117
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