Quito's origins date back to the first millennium, when the Quitu tribe occupied the area and eventually formed a commercial center. According to Juan de Velasco's 1767 book Historia del Reino de Quito, the Quitu were conquered by the Caras tribe, who founded the Kingdom of Quito about 980 CE.
Quito is located in the northern highlands of Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin. The city has been built on a long plateau lying on the east flanks of the Pichincha volcano. The valley of Guayllabamba River where Quito lies is flanked by volcanoes, some of them snow-capped, that can be visible from the city on a clear day. Some of the volcanoes on the Central Cordillera (Royal Cordillera), east of Quito, surrounding the Guayllabamba valley are Cotopaxi, Sincholagua, Antisana, and Cayambe. Some of the volcanoes of the Western Cordillera, to the west of the Guayllabamba valley, are Illiniza, Atacazo, Pichincha, and Pululahua (which has the Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve).

Climate

Because of its elevation and its proximity to the equator, Quito has a fairly constant cool climate, Spring-like weather year-round. The average temperature at noon is 19°C (66°F) with a normal night-time low of 10°C (50°F). The annual average temperature is 15°C (64°F).[ The city experiences only two seasons: dry and wet. The dry season, June through September (4 months), is referred to as summer; the wet season, October through May (8 months), is referred to as winter.

Historic centre

According to UNESCO's Web site, Quito has the largest, best-preserved, and least-altered historic centre (320 hectares) in Latin America], despite the 1917 earthquake. It was one of the first sites that was inscribed onto the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1978. Some of the churches are:

Cathedral of Quito
Church of the Society of Jesus (La Compañía)
Church and Convent of St. Francis (San Francisco)
Church and Convent of St. Dominic (Santo Domingo)
Church and Convent of La Merced
Basílica del Voto Nacional