The Chapel of Cantuña — the pact with the devil

OVERVIEW

The Basilica and Convent of San Francisco stands on the site of the Inca Huayna Cápac's palace, burned on the orders of the general Rumiñahui before the Spanish advance and buried under rubble. Building began around 1537, three years after the Spanish founded the city. The Chapel of Cantuña is a small single-nave chapel inside the complex, with a baroque altarpiece attributed to Bernardo de Legarda and works by Caspicara.

HISTORY

The legend was collected by Father Juan de Velasco, the early historian of the Kingdom of Quito. Cantuña was the son of Hualca, who had helped Rumiñahui hide the treasures of Quito from the Spanish; Cantuña's great-grandfather had seen what was buried where the convent now stands. When Cantuña spent lavishly and was pressed to explain where it came from, he said he had made a pact with the devil. He then gave a great deal of his money to see the chapel finished, which has carried his name ever since — perhaps, the account says, to redeem himself from the pact.

REPORTED ACTIVITY

This is a legend with a named early recorder attached to a standing building, not a report of anything seen.

VISITING

The chapel is part of the San Francisco complex on the plaza of the same name in Quito's historic centre; the convent museum is open to visitors. It is a working church.