Parque el Alameda (Alameda Park), Quito

Parque el Alameda (Alameda Park) is a historical and beautiful public park located in the center of Quito. This park is the oldest in the city, and it is situated in the Centro Histórico parish, within a triangle made up of Gran Colombia avenue. The area where the park is situated was originally known as Chuquihuada, named after the triangular shape of the flat land.

The council of the colonial city recognized the need for a recreational space for the people of Quito and created the park after the signature of the decree of the corregidor Francisco de Sotomayor on March 8, 1596. The park has undergone several transformations since then, with the first monuments being installed, interior paths created, and the perimeter being enclosed with a low decorative wall.

From the early days of the republic until 1873, the park was used by sheep farmers who brought their animals to graze there. In 1877, Marieta de Veintimilla, the niece of President Ignacio de Veintimilla, ordered an integral restructuring of the park, giving it a more landscaped and European style. The redesign of the park made it a pleasant place for walks for Quito's high society at the time.

The oldest tree in La Alameda is a macrocarpa cypress that is around 120 years old. The park also contains a small natural lagoon, which has paths around it that were created between 1785 and 1790 and are still preserved today.