Rumipamba Archaeological

Ecological Park
The most antique stone walls found in Quito are those of Rumipamba Park, a 32- hectare complex located in a former private hacienda, now in the heart of the city of Quito. The walls date back to 400 AD. Rumi means stone and pamba, pampas or plains. Rumipamba has some huge stones from the last important eruption of the nearby Guagua Pichincha volcano, which took place in 1660.

The Rumipamba site includes a gully that has become a niche for flora and fauna, especially birds. Several flora species including trees, medicinal plants, fruits and others, are found inside the park. It also includes a “culunco”, which is an antique road connecting the highlands with the coast for the commercialization of products. These roads date back to the Yumbo culture, a pre- Incan civilization that inhabited the cloud forests surrounding Quito.

Address: between Occidental, América and Mariana de Jesús Avenues, at the North- West of the city.
Open: Wednesdays thru Sundays from 9h00 thru 16h00.
Free admission

La Florida Burial Chambers
La Florida Burial Chambers date back to 220 – 640 AD, belonging to the Quitus culture.  The site- museum is located in the middle of the city, in a small piece of land (800m) that used to be part of a large hacienda, with a wonderful view of the city of Quito; on a clear day it is possible to see the Cayambe volcano.

To this day, the FONSAL has excavated 10 burial chambers which are 15- 17 meters (49– 56 ft) deep and have 2 meters (6.5 ft) of diameter. Large amounts of amazing ceramics, spondylus and other shells, jewelry, wooden objects and gold were found in the chambers alongside hundreds of bodies. The funeral architecture reflects the cosmovision of the Quitus: the human bodies were given back to Mother Earth’s womb. 

In order to present the archaeological findings in a didactic manner, the FONSAL has done a great job reproducing one of the burial chambers with 16 bodies and the respective ritual objects. The replica of the faces was done by experts through a systematic reproduction based on the skulls called “forensic medicine”.

Moreover, the FONSAL has placed a “robot” that reproduces images from the original walls of one of the burial chambers on a screen so that visitors can closely admire the traces of the original structure of the chambers.

The complex includes a small museum that exhibits original objects found in the burial chambers.  Some of the most impressive pieces are the spondylus ponchos, which were worn by only a few of the buried bodies of hierarchical importance.
Address: Calle Antonio Costa, between Román and Fernando Corral St., at the San Vicente de La Florida neighborhood in Northern Quito.
Open: Wednesdays thru Sundays from 9h00 thru 16h00
Free admission

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