This first-rate museum depicts daily life in Quito through the centuries, with displays including dioramas, model indigenous homes and colonial kitchens. The 1563 building itself (a former hospital) is a work of art. There are also a number of temporary exhibitions. Entry is free on the last Sunday of the month.
The museum sits just past the 18th-century arch, Arco de la Reina, built to give shelter to churchgoers.