When you travel in a new city in South America and you don’t know where to even start to explore, just head towards the PLAZA DE ARMAS. This is the town square, in the historical centre of the city, and it’s quite possibly one of the best spots from where to start wandering around, breathing in the vibes of a new place.

On our first day in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, that’s exactly what we did: we went to the town centre to understand what a regular day around there would be like. Besides people walking up and down and going about their regular business, we witnessed a demonstration, lead by native groups, demanding more rights for indigenous people (normally tied to the land). This was one of the most peaceful and gracious demonstrations I have ever witnessed. People were sitting around, playing socially and politically charged songs.

In this video, you can listen to “Hasta Siempre, Comandante”, one of the songs we heard the most playing in public spaces while we traveled around Latin America. Dedicated to revolutionary Che Guevara, this is one of the most iconic songs in the region, often played in instances when the common people and their basic rights are in question.

And this day in Quito, couldn’t be an exception.