Museo Nacional del Ecuador, often still remembered through its Banco Central past, is one of Quito’s major museum stops. Its collections move from pre-Columbian objects through colonial religious art, republican history, and modern Ecuadorian work.
For travellers, the museum helps connect Quito’s old churches and plazas to the wider country. Give it enough time; the best pieces are not just beautiful, they explain how Ecuador’s regions, cultures, and political eras fit together.