The People's Palace: Ecuador's Carondelet

The Carondelet Presidential Palace is the traditional residence of Ecuador's presidents and center of the country's political life. It is on Quito's Independence Plaza, which is the cultural hub of the city.

The palace was the center of the Royal Audience of Quito in the colonial period, and is surrounded by churches and other government buildings that make up part of Quito's Unesco World Heritage Site.

The balconies of the Carondelet were modeled after the Tuileries Palace in Paris, and the palace was built in 1612 by President of the Royal Audience of Quito Luis Hector Baron de Carondelet. Following the Battle of Pichincha in 1822, the Carondelet became the headquarters for the Southern Department of Grand Colombia.

"It is for the works that Baron Carondelet made in his administration that quiteños began calling this the Carondelet Palace. Some historians also agree that one of the first people who came to call it this was Simon Bolivar, when he came here for the first time June 16, 1822,” Cultural Guide of Carondelet Presidential Palace Andres Leon told teleSUR English.

“The palace obviously has two wings. In the south wing, there are offices and government branches, and in the north, there are three rooms where there are cabinet sessions, then banquets and then there is the salon of presidents, which is ceremonial room,” said Leon.

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The Carondelet Presidential Palace is today the center of Ecuador's national government. Current president of Ecuador Rafael Correa has chosen to not live at the Carondelet, but citizens have enjoyed unprecedented access to the palace, with tours every 15 minutes, seven days a week.

On the opportunity for visitors to come to the palace Leon said, "Until this government, it was a myth to think about entering here. It was a very privileged access to be able to come here to the palace. When President Rafael Correa took power in 2008, he believed that the government palace should be the house of Ecuadoreans. So that's why he decides to open it as part of the democratization of public spaces. So since 2007 to the present tourists can come visit it for free."

Visitors pay their respects to the Ecuadorean flag, and see the three principal spaces of the Carondelet, which are the Cabinet Room, Banquet Room and the Yellow Room, where the portraits of past presidents hang. On the side of the Banquet Room is a chapel of the 19th Century Quito School art movement, which was installed by former President Sixto Duran Ballen.

Gifts from world leaders to President Correa are showcased as well, making this a highlight of the palace tour.

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"President Rafael Correa has considered that all the gifts he has received as head of state belong to the people as cultural patrimony. It is for this reason that we see them around the palace visit. There are many representative gifts like for example what Pope Francis left him which I think is what most stands out to visitors lately. There are also many gifts of other heads of state, like medals, cultural goods, like for example there are commemorative coins, and each one has it's historical value, like for example of the Chamber of French Legislators of 1885, so we know that each country has given gifts to the president, and now this is cultural patrimony of Ecuadoreans, something which has never happened before in this country," said Leon.

Ecuador is the world's third largest exporter of roses, and as a part of national pride, bouquets are brought every Sunday to adorn the palace. Temporary exhibits of Ecuadorean artists are featured on the walls of the Carondelet, and exiting the palace, visitors walk past the 1960 mosaic mural by renowned artist Oswaldo Guayasamin. It represents the Spanish expedition of the Amazonas River during the conquest, and pays respect to the 3,000 indigenous who died in this expedition.

Upon completing the tour, visitor from Venezuela Yahaira Freites Hurtado said, "Well, I really liked the tour, especially the part where we saw the Amazonas when they came here, so, once again I must say, that women have always had a protagonistic role, since a long time ago."

Visitors come away with a greater understanding of the history and political transformations of Ecuador after walking the halls of the Carondelet, from the colonial period to the present. The opening of public spaces to the public is linked to the national development plan of Good Living, which seeks to further democratize Ecuadorean society.

"Well I think that in Good Living one of the principals is solidarity and is he is bringing the economy to the people, so I think his idea of opening the palace up to people is for the people to be closer to the power, and be closer to what the president does, to make it more understandable for people," said visitor from the Netherlands Dorine Van Norren to teleSUR English.