In January 2006 students of Biology and Spanish from College of the Canyons, Valencia, California traveled to Ecuador and the Galápagos to increase their knowledge through primary experience. These are photos that record some of those experiences. Click on a photo to take you to a page on that location.
	The Virgin of Panecillo is the third tallest statue in the world, after the Statue of Liberty in the United States and the statue of Jesus in Brazil. She stands atop a hill in the middle of Old Colonial Town in Quito. The view is 360 degrees. The climb to the top of the statue is well worth the effort, even if you are out of breath from the altitude, because of the beautiful stained glass windows you will see on the way up.
	The old colonial section of Quito has many beautiful buildings, especially the towering churches.
	The Otavalo market is famous for the crafts sold there which are made by the local people. The weavers are well known all over the world.
	The Pyramids of Cochasqui are ancient ruins located outside of Quito. Only one of the pyramids has been excavated and is partially unearthed to view. There is also a museum on the premises with artifacts from the area.
	The Inti Nan museum at the equator was a fascinating place. This photo shows a solar calendar. Our guide demonstrated the difference in water swirling at the equator and in the northern and southern hemispheres.
	The Mitad del Mundo is a center for commenorating the French establishment of the equator. It has a large monument with a ball on top at the equator. A large pathway leading up to the monument has statues of famous Frenchmen.
	This is the Pinnacle on Bartolomew Island. Our main base was Santa Cruz Island From there we took boats to several of the other islands to view the wildlife.
	We had one free day during which we could go wherever we wanted. We picked the Quito Botanical Garden as it was located close in town in one of the large parks. The orchid displays were gorgeous.
For your knowledge enlargement here is a Spanish word a day from don Quijote. We are not sponsored by don Quijote or College of the Canyons.
Photographs by Joseph Roarke Tracy, site by Mary Ellen Tracy 2006, 2007.