This was the first full day in Ecuador! What an amazing and beautiful country. We begin our travels in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. Soon we will venture deep into the Amazon Rainforest and then after travel to the West Coast and relax on the beach. We’re staying in downtown Quito at a beautiful hotel decorated with plants and vinery. Today was also Mother’s Day so there were a ton of roses and families out enjoying their days. The food in Quito is also so fresh and makes you feel great after eating it!

 Today in Quito we learned about the Catholic Church, specifically Iglesia de San Francisco, and its history in Quito. The story of how the church was built revolves around an old figure, Cantuna. The building of the church took 500 years! Cantuna was the main person helping to build the church, and struck a deal with the devil. He would sell his soul to the devil if he helped Cantuna build the church. When the church was almost finished, Cantuna hid the last stone and never “finished” the church. The devil and his workers could not find the last stone and legend has it the pigeons outside the church are working for the devil trying to find where the last stone is missing from. Many Ecuadorians are Catholic, going to church and making God a large part of their lives. It is amazing to see the passion people have in church and while talking about their savior. 

We also went and tasted chocolate at Gumbo’s, a chocolate producer. They had many different flavors of chocolate like orange, ginger, and coffee. We were also treated to 100% cacao- hot chocolate, which was the best I’ve ever tasted. 

Quito is an amazing city with so many great stories and a rich history. The history of the city of Quito and the construction of the church is astonishing and was pleasant to learn about. We’re only one day in and have 13 more to go! I can’t wait to keep building friendships with my peers and keep exploring Ecuador.