Between 1565 and 1705 the “Museo de la Ciudad” was called “Hospital Real de la Misericordia de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo”. It was run by the Brotherhood of Charity and Mercy.

Between 1706 and 1830 the hospital was given to the Order of Brothers of Bethlehem to offer health and spiritual care to the people of Quito, and in doing so became a witness and key actor in the social processes that Quito went through its different historical stages.

From the middle of the 19th century until 1974, the administration of the hospital passed into the hands of the State. In this period, the Sisters of Charity supported the medical work.

The building was inaugurated as the Museo de la Ciudad on July 23 of 1998 becoming the patrimonial building with the greatest value preserved by the city. Among its interesting facts sticks out the one in Ripley’s «Even if you don’t believe it» (1942) for having been the hospital that provided uninterrupted medical care since its foundation.

Inside a patrimonial building, which exceeds 10,000 m2, the visitor would be able to appreciate a permanent exhibition on the socio-historical processes of Quito and its geographical area of influence and cultural sphere. It offers a direct connection to Bulevar 24 de Mayo. Additionally, its free area offers two terraces and a viewpoint.

The Museo del Carmen Alto is located in the former cloistered Monastery of the order of the Madres Carmelitas Descalzas, founded in 1653. By visiting its rooms, corridors and patios you will be able to experience history, art, spirituality, memory and living heritage from one of the most important cultural assets of the 17th to the 20th centuries.

The exhibition invites us to reflect on the daily life of the Madres Carmelitas and the political, social and cultural construction of Quito between the 16th and 19th centuries. You will be able to enter a living museum with patrimonial objects that maintain their symbolic and spiritual charge by being in a space shared with the enclosed religious community.