Quito

Quito, the capital city of Ecuador, is both a World Heritage site and the oldest capital in South America. For the Quito project, the Conservation Institute partnered with the Municipality of Quito and the Caspicara Foundation on a number of projects with the aim of preserving the city's historic colonial city center.

An international colloquium on the "Seismic Protection of Historic Buildings and Monuments,” held May 31 through June 3, 1993, was attended by architects, engineers, and scientists from Ecuador and other earthquake-prone countries such as Mexico, Turkey, Macedonia, and the United States. Presentations addressed a variety of issues including the relationship between natural disasters and conservation of cultural heritage; preventive actions; examples of consolidation, rehabilitation, and reinforcement of monuments in Mexico, California, and Quito; computerized and analytical methodologies; seismic strengthening analysis and techniques; differing approaches of architects and engineers; social and political pressures on conservation activities; and the ethics of structural interventions.

Work for this project included a photogrammetric study of historic buildings on the principal thoroughfare, Calle García Moreno; investigation of the color history of building facades; environmental monitoring; and conservation advice for the Church of La Compañia de Jésus. Conservation, cataloging, and training in library management were undertaken at the Monastery of La Merced by the Getty Research Institute and the Conservation Institute.