By Alex Shaw (The Ecuador Reporter)

"Ecuador's first chapel in honour of Mary was located in Guapulo. Spanish settlers chose this area because of it's physical resemblance to the Extremadura province of Spain, where Our Lady of Guapulo is said to have appeared to a shepheard in around 1300. The Sanctuary of Guadalupe's virgin in Guapulo, as seen today, is predominantly the work of the architec Fray Antonio Rodriguez and was erected between 1649 and 1693.

In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Malaria swept through Quito and it was believed that church congregations were ideal breeding grounds for spreading the disease. In the belief that it would help prevent the spread of the disease, the lavishly decorated interior of the church was hastily painted over in the red and white garb that remains to this day. Fragments of the original radiant decor are painstakingly being brought back into view by the efforts of restoration workers.

A museum located at the back of the church contains artefacts relating to the history of the church and paintings whose themes are linked to the miracles of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The Baroque hanging pulpit, intricately and completely decorated with carved motifs, is also one of the finest in Latin America."