Panofsky's method as a tool for managing tourist guidance in Quito's Independence Square

Abstract

This article analyzes the application of Erwin Panofsky's iconological method as a tool for managing tourist guides in Quito's Independence Square, proposing it as an interpretive approach that enables a deep and contextualized reading of the architectural and monumental elements of this heritage space. This square, conceived as the historical and symbolic heart of the city, contains highly significant buildings: the Carondelet Palace, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and the Archbishop's and Municipal Palaces. These buildings express, through their formal and iconographic configuration, different spheres of political, religious, and civic power.