THE SILENT WALLS
Director Gabriela Calvache
Countries Ecuador
Duration 65 min
Synopsis
Every city has its secrets, but it is probably inside houses, behind their silent walls, where they are most intense and human. The Alabado House was built in 1671 as part of Quito’s colonial Old City, surviving centuries of earthquakes, poverty and decay. Over the past five years, dozens of manual laborers have been working to restore it. Official documents date the Spanish foundation of Quito to 1534, dutifully recording the names of its European settlers and architects. Located in the heart of the Andes, it was the first city to become a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. But its miraculous beauty conceals a long and tragic history. For it was the oppressed indigenous masses who built the Old City, the largest in Latin America.
Every city has its secrets, but it is probably inside houses, behind their silent walls, where they are most intense and human. The Alabado House was built in 1671 as part of Quito’s colonial Old City, surviving centuries of earthquakes, poverty and decay. Over the past five years, dozens of manual laborers have been working to restore it. Official documents date the Spanish foundation of Quito to 1534, dutifully recording the names of its European settlers and architects. Located in the heart of the Andes, it was the first city to become a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. But its miraculous beauty conceals a long and tragic history. For it was the oppressed indigenous masses who built the Old City, the largest in Latin America.