El Panecillo, Hill in Quito, Ecuador

El Panecillo is a 200-metre-high hill of volcanic origin with loess soil, rising between central and southern Quito to a peak of 3,016 metres. Its slopes are packed with white and light-coloured houses in tight tiers, and a 45-metre aluminium statue of the Virgin stands on a globe atop a cylindrical pedestal on the summit.

The hill, called Yavirac by its original inhabitants, held a temple where the sun was worshipped until the Spanish conquistadors destroyed it. In 1975 the Oblates commissioned Agustín de la Herrán Matorras to build a 45-metre aluminium madonna, inaugurated on 28 March 1975 by Archbishop Pablo Muñoz Vega and erected by engineer Anibal Lopez.

The summit statue reproduces Bernardo de Legarda's 1734 "Virgen de Quito", known as "the dancer" for its moving pose, unlike the static madonnas of the Quito School. A bronze plaque identifies her as the Woman of the Apocalypse from Revelation 12. Locals point out that she alone among madonnas has angel wings.

Taxis or guided tours are the safest way to reach the summit, as walking from Old Town presents risks to visitors. The top offers sweeping views across the entire city and surrounding areas.

The statue stands on a globe and steps on a snake, the usual madonna iconography, but its angel wings are not: locals say no other madonna has them. A bronze plaque on the monument identifies the figure as the Woman of the Apocalypse from Revelation 12.