When I was a young teenager, my family and I spent three years in Quito, Ecuador. We had a two-story house on the slopes of Mt. Pichincha. My brothers and I would often explore many of the quebradas and would carefully work our way down ancient pathways zig-zagging down into these beautiful tropical cracks of the earth. As a young Indiana Jones like explorer, I would explore these wonderful trails that held colorful birds, insects, and strange tropical animals. On the side walls were many, many caves which we would often explore sometimes only using candles. Being a brave kid, I would crawl into skinny worm like tunnels to see how far they went. From inside, I would collect bats, scorpions, and giant centipedes with no regard to safety since there could have been cave-ins, wild cat attacks, giant spider webs, and deadly stinging insects. I often brought these creatures to show and tell at my school, Cotopaxi Academy, and received good grades and respect from my peers. (See the certificate below.)
The caves ranged in size from about 3 feet in diameter to 2-stories tall. On the man made openings, I marveled at the hand chiseled walls. Others were natural with small streams of clear, cold water running through them. After I left Quito, I read stories about the lost gold of Quito that may have been hidden in these very caves.
Centuries ago when the Spaniards killed King Atahulpa, his general, Ruminahui became ruler of the short lived Incan Empire. On hearing of Atahulpa's death, he gathered the riches of Quito's gold and led a caravan of 600 packed llamas to hide it in secret caves somewhere in Ecuador. People are seeking these famous riches today but I am sure that with the vast number of unexplored caves on Mt. Pichincha, it may be awhile before they find it. If I were there, I would love to explore them again but this time with a flashlight. For those who currently live there, try taking a hike into these wonderful quebradas and keep an eye out for the tell tale sign of sparkling gold.
I have attached a link to the a story about the Incan treasure – Quito's gold. It goes into more detail about the historic events of King Atahulpa and Ruminahui. http://lostincagold.com/expeditions/llanganatis-ecuador/