Virgen de El Panecillo

Crowning the hill of El Panecillo above the historic center of Quito, this towering aluminum statue depicts the Virgin Mary as a winged Madonna standing on a globe and a serpent. Erected in 1975 and based on a small colonial sculpture by Bernardo de Legarda, it rises more than forty meters and is assembled from thousands of numbered aluminum pieces. Visitors can climb inside the base for views over the colonial city and surrounding volcanoes. Uniquely depicting the Virgin with wings, it is one of the capital's most recognizable landmarks.