Quito Tunnel

The searing echo of cars racing through this tunnel bores a hole in your head, hollowing out the afternoon affect of another busy, boring day. The sound of someone on their way home from work reminds you of sweet smelling cookies and butter-topped biscuits waiting for you in the oven, home cooked by your beloved. A small drip of saliva works its way down onto your chin and you almost fall off of your office chair. San Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito, is the capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. 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 AD. Caras and their allies were narrowly defeated in the epic battles of Tiocajas and Tixán in 1462, by an army of 250,000 led by Túpac Inca, the son of the Emperor of the Incas. After several decades of consolidation, the Kingdom of Quito became integrated into the Incan Empire. In 1534, the Caras/Quitu people were conquered by the Spanish. Indigenous resistance to the Spanish invasion continued during 1534, with Diego de Almagro founding Santiago de Quito on August 15, 1534, later to be renamed San Francisco de Quito on August 28, 1534. The city was later moved to its present location and was refounded on 6 December 1534 by 204 settlers led by Sebastián de Benalcázar, who captured Rumiñahui and effectively ended any organized resistance.