Once upon a time, as all good fairy tales begin, there was a rich and arrogant man who lived in the colonial city of Quito. This gentleman lived like a prince. Worse, he thought himself better than the people of the city. Better than his peers. Even better than the proud cockerel that served as a weather vane on top of the Cathedral of Quito.

In fact, he made it a daily practice to insult the rooster as he passed by,

“What a joke of a rooster!”

“¡Que tontería de gallito!”

One night, after an evening of carousing in a local inn, this prosperous yet prideful man decided to again stop and berate the proud cockerel. The rooster lost all patience. Against all odds, he removed himself from his metal perch and flew down to attack the drunkard. Fearlessly, the gallito jabbed and stabbed and poked until the man covered his head and ran away in terror, his hateful words halted mid-sentence.

 The Next Day

The following morning, the man woke to find himself covered in wounds. Although he recalled an attack by the cockerel, he had a hard time believing that a weather vane could have castigated him in such a manner. However, injuries don’t lie. Thus, the overbearing gentleman chose to stop drinking anything but water and to never insult the cockerel again.

Forever after, the gallito has remained at his post, overlooking Quito, serving as a compass to the four winds. Nary a rumor exists that he has left his post since colonial times, but be warned as you walk through the Plaza de la Independencia. The rooster is always on guard for people filled with too much pride.

The End.

Great thanks to our guide, Adriana, and to an unknown blogger from Flicker.com for this story in Spanish… as with all good fairy tales, I have taken the liberty to tell it as I see fit. Any part that does not fit with legend is completely my fault alone.

This post was originally published in August, 2013.

The City Cathedral

While you do not need to enter the Cathedral to enjoy the Rooster Weather Vane, self-guided tours that include the domes and rooftop are available. The entrance for the museum and tour is on the side of the Cathedral facing Plaza Grande.

Tourism is not allowed when services are in progress.

If you would like to see the Plaza Grande and the City Cathedral in the evening, consider staying the night at the Plaza Grande Hotel and ask for a room facing the plaza.