INCA GATEWAY AND FORTRESS IN THE ANDES.
[CHAPTER VII.]
DESCRIPTION OF QUITO.—VISIT TO THE VOLCANO OF PICHINCHA.—THE DEEPEST CRATER IN THE WORLD.—ROUTE OVER THE ANDES TO THE AMAZON.—RETURN TO THE COAST.
CROSSING THE MOUNTAINS.
The journey from Bodegas to Quito had exhausted the strength of our friends, and they were quite willing to rest in the hotel during the first evening of their stay in the capital. The time was improved by a study of the history of the city, and when they started out the next morning they were well stocked with information.
"Nobody now living can tell how old Quito is," said the Doctor; "it was founded many centuries ago by the Quitas or Quichas, and its early history is buried in obscurity. According to some traditions it is nearly two thousand years old. It is positively known to have existed about 1000 a.d., when it was captured by the Cara nation, who were more civilized than the Quitas.