Uncovering the Virgen Del Panecillo : Quito's Postcolonial Urban Transformations

The stories behind an icon

Taller than the Rio de Janiero's Christ the Redeemer statue, the Virgen del Panecillo draws visitors to the center of Quito, Ecuador, to take advantage of the site's unique view of the city. But few know the history behind El Panecillo or the monument.

María Célleri examines the eighty-year effort to complete Quito's soaring monument to the Virgin Mary. Focusing on the negotiations behind the project, Célleri uncovers the links between the government and Church—links that became stronger during moments of political and economic transition. Célleri also investigates how the city's residents and activists, and artists like filmmakers, graffiti artists, and photographers, interact with the monument. Throughout, she looks at questions like the Virgen del Panecillo's service to Ecuador as a form of cultural capital, the Virgen's symbolic meanings to different groups, and the often-hidden connections between colonialism, Catholicism, and artistic production.

Original and multifaceted, Uncovering the Virgen del Panecillo provides readers with a rigorous decolonial analysis of an iconic monument and its history.