Francisco Javier Eugenio de Santa Cruz y Espejo[a] was a medical pioneer, writer and lawyer of criollo origin in colonial Ecuador. Although he was a notable scientist and writer, he stands out as a polemicist who inspired the separatist movement in Quito. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in colonial Ecuador. He was Quito's first journalist and hygienist.
Eugenio Espejo
A representation of a mestizo in a "pintura de castas" (painting of castes) in the colonial era. "A Spanish man and an Amerindian woman produce a mestizo," the caption says.
View of Quito today
Espejo was influenced by European scholars, such as Benito Jerónimo Feijóo.
Quito, officially San Francisco de Quito, is the capital of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its metropolitan area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha. Quito is located in a valley on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes.
Quito in 1615 by the Guamán Poma.
Artwork that shows a far view of the city. Mid-18th century.
Entry into the city of Quito of the Spanish troops sent by the Viceroy of Peru in 1809, painting of 1809 by Francisco Javier Cortés. Museo de América (Madrid).
Quito by Rafael Salas (mid-19th century painting)
