Capilla del Hombre

Completed three years after his death in 1999, Oswaldo Guayasamín’s masterwork is a must-see for visitors to Quito. The nondenominational Chapel of Man (Calvachi and Chavez, tel. 2/2448-492, www.capilladelhombre.com, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Tues.–Sun., $3 pp or $5 with Museo Guayasamín) is dedicated to the struggles endured by the residents of the Americas, both before and after the arrival of the Spanish.

  Huge paintings fill the open, two-story building, which is centered on a circular space beneath an unfinished dome mural portraying the millions of workers who died in the silver mines of Potosí, Bolivia. Other works cover topics both heartening and wrenching, from the innocent faces of children to the gigantic Bull and Condor, symbolizing the struggle between Spanish and Andean identities. In the center of the ground floor burns an eternal flame. Guided tours are offered in English and Spanish.