QuitoSur

Just as a tiny reminder, I'm living in the capital, Quito. Although I'm not sure, if I remember correctly the metropolitan area of Quito has close to two million people. This city is huge. It is in one long valley which is congested and not well built for the big city that has come to form. It takes two hours to drive across the city unless you take a highway around the mountains where it takes between 30-40 minutes.


In the past 30 years, Quito has doubled in size (which is also happening all over the world) and there is now QuitoSur (South Quito). QuitoSur is the southern part of the valley that is known as the poor part of the city. In the past 30 years Quito has doubled in size by adding on QuitoSur as people have migrated to the city. Most of the migrants are poor, darker-skinned, and come from other parts of Ecuador that Quitanos (people who have lived in Quito for generations) are known to discriminate against.

Unfortunately, Quitanos know very little about the southern half of their city and most rarely go there. When I ask other Equatorianos if they have been there a common response is "I got lost there once..." or "for class..." is all. Other comments include "that's where all the crime and criminals are. That is where the problem of the city comes from..." Whether or not that is true, it is quite obvious that people from northern Quito feel an invasion of their city.

I recently went to QuitoSur with my study abroad group to get a glimpse that I will probably not have again. We went to the lookout to first describe the city from afar and compare it to northern Quito (where we all live--very far north--it is just closer to our university). QuitoSur is the result of shanty towns that have been built up over the years. The houses are plain cinderblocks buildings as paint is expensive. They are also built with reams of concrete and metal on top, waiting to keep building up as the owner hopes to someday build up more. Cars show you have money. Everything is a bit dreary, and as the southern half of the city is higher in elevation, it has a fitting chiller atmosphere.

Then we took a long way through to see more of the environment before arrived at a school where we volunteered for the afternoon.

I really enjoyed QuitoSur. It was more of what I had pictured Ecuador of being before arriving here and I really do think I could have lived there. But I live in the better part of Quito and go to one of the best if not the best university here where everyone dresses nicely. I can see that my Ecuadorian friends drive nice cars and their houses are just amazing. For the most part I am hanging out with the higher class of society here in Ecuador. It was not what I was expecting when I signed up to come here, and QuitoSur makes life more humble.

I did go to a friends house in QuitoSur recently and an Ecuadorian friend yelled "WHERE?!" when I told him. Back to the criminals and crime in QuitoSur. I argued with him saying I had felt comfortable and safe with my friend and it was not fair of him (someone who lives in one of the best neighborhoods in the city) to judge my friend like so. I'm not completely sure I could compare QuitoSur to southern Chicago or the Bronx, but maybe more like southern Indianapolis. I just believe as long as you are smart and with people who know the area, it is ok and QuitoSur just needs a better reputation here. However I have been told that in another 10 years, with more expansion, QuitoSur could be more in the middle of the city...