Del Hombre (Mankind's) Chapel

The Chapel of Man is the posthumous work and the most ambitious project of the Ecuadorian painter Oswaldo Guayasamín. It is located in the Bellavista neighborhood, Quito.

 

With this building, the artist wanted to reflect on the history of Latin America, the ancestral cultures, the crossbreeding, the promotion of Human Rights and peace. He began its construction in 1995, but the sudden death of the artist in 1999 left the work unfinished. The Chapel was finished posthumously and inaugurated in 2002.

 

The complex consists of a central building and the Guayasamín Foundation attached to it. The Chapel has 3,600 m2 of construction, on two levels. The first level exhibits more than 3,000 archaeological pieces from the Valdivia, Chorrera, Tolita, Guangala, Jama Coaque, Bahía and Panzaleo cultures. On the western side of the Chapel a group of 14 pre-Inca tombs discovered in an excavation on the same day the artist died.

 

The Guanguiltagua hill where this site is located has revealed a human occupation associated with the Integration Period.

 

The second level exhibits the most famous paintings of Guayasamín, several created for this space. Others belong to his series "La Lucha del Indio", "La Edad del Llanto", "La Edad de la Ira" and "La Edad de la Ternura". The Eternal Flame" catches the eye, located in the middle of a large metal plate. It symbolizes the prayer for peace and human rights. 25 oil paintings of his initial period and a collection of 1,000 drawings made since he was 7 years old, belong to the exhibition. Finally, the tree of life. Aquí́ are the remains of the author, in the garden of his house.

 

The Guayasamín Foundation is an organization created and directed by the artist for 25 years. It is one of the most recognized cultural institutions in Latin America.