Nestled high in the Andes near the equator lies a city of unrivaled splendor.Built on Inca ruins in 1534 by Spanish conquistadores, the historic center of Quito, Ecuador was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1978.Today, its magnificent colonial buildings, with their wealth of artistic gems hidden behind exquisite façades, are threatened by serious urban and environmental problems.Quito at the Crossroads shows how the city's government and local organizations are collaborating with the Getty Conservation Institute to save this historic center.This program explores the challenge of preserving the physical fabric of a historic city while accommodating the needs and aspirations of the people who live and work there.