Museo Templo del Sol Pintor Cristobal Ortega Maila

The best attraction in Quito! Such a unique quirky temple adorned with the fabulous paintings & sculptures of the Ecuadorian artist Juan Ortega. We also got a guided tour in English, a cup of Coca tea & if you go at the weekend you get to meet the charismatic artist himself, watch him paint a painting in 5 mins, and sample his delicious bottled liquor. Bargain. Do not miss this attraction!

Really interesting place, worth to go.
The entrance was 4$. Inside you can buy aromatic oiles, coca leaves, mineral stones and well - painting of master Ortega.
We went during weekend and Ortega was there, we could speak to him and he painted a piece of art with fingers in 3 minutes, just in front of us.
The only thing I missed was passion of guides, they were reciting monologues by heart, and there was no time for asking questions and we had a lot of them because the tour was full of amazing experiments.

Loved this hidden gem of a place. We just ran into it and were grateful for it. The artist was there, painted for us and drank tea with us. He was so humble and nice. The store inside has a lot of great items, and his art is amazing. He paints only with his hands. Would visit again.

Very interesting museum that is a work of art itself, feels like entering an ancient temple. Admission is $4 for locals, $6 for gringos. Parking is $1 (shared parking lot with volcano hiking and several gift shops). It was definitely a bit of a money-making enterprise. Don't take the demonstrations too seriously, it's a sales pitch, but still fun.
Cristobal Ortega Maila was an extremely prolific and talented artist who worked with many kinds of media, from painting in different styles to sculpture to architecture, much of it rooted in ancient local cultures and traditions, and it is all showcased here. But more than just the art, there is also a presentation (in Spanish) that begins at the top of the tower, describing ancient natural herbal medicine (with samples!), then moving downstairs to explore the design of the building (like many ancient temples would have been) as a way to keep track of the movements of the sun throughout the year, and also of course to pay homage to the sun god Init. The presentation ended in the gift shop with a relaxing aromatherapy session with musical instruments to simulate the sounds of Nature while breathing different scents. All the products demonstrated were available for sale.

Totally worth the visit, I recommend this place. The meditation chamber is an awesome treat. They sell really affordable bracelet's, charms and souvenir's. The tea offered is an energizing potion. I really enjoyed my time there. This is a great opportunity, place for taking pictures. The art work is incredibly breathtaking. Stop by and get a feel of an ancient time in a modern world.

It was interesting and fun. The crystals I bought from the shop inside are so charged. It's awesome kinda wish I would have grabbed more of them

Great place to visit when in Quito- Ecuador. Great temple, Paintings, and Sculptures. Interesting Art,and Hand craftsmanship

This was interesting. The artist who founded this place appears at the end of the tour for a presentation on the benefits of Coca tea and a live painting. During the tour you see a gallery of his work for sale and a presentation of oils and crystals and their benefits with a mystical musical meditation experience.

We visited museo del sol by chance. This was a wonderful experience. The museum has free entrance and offers a historic tour. They tell you about the indigenous people who lived close to the equator and how they used the sun. After this part they talker about the powers of the Kade stone to align our Chakra, and the power of aroma therapy. A sensational experience. After we went into the museum to admire different works of the artist Ortega Maila, who is also the architect of the temple. The tour finishes with a taste of te de coca. You have the possibility to buy several items during the tour.

You would think the museum’s structure has been there an eternity, but this isn’t the case. The museum is a construction thought of by painter/sculptor Cristóbal Ortega Maila. It was inspired by pre-Columbian edifices and is about 500 square metres. The structure is quite impressive and made completely out of Andean stone. All guides are indigenous and take you on a wonderful 1-hour extrasensory tour through the spiral. Most weekends you can find the artist painting on the premises and he’s always more than happy to take pictures with the tourists. You can purchase all kinds of artefacts, jewellery and essential oils at the Templo del Sol at affordable prices. Entrance fee is $3. The guided tours start at 10 a.m.

A must go place in Quito. There is a aroma theraphy experience included in the entrance fee and it is sth that is extraordinary. Can taste Free coca tea along the tour. (Too weak to make you high) And plenty of artworks to enjoy. Recommend long sleeves coz it is cold inside.

A very interesting museum. You should probably go there if you're passing by the middle of the world which is a must-see. On the first floor it is the replica of the ancient Sun Temple and the second and third floor it has paintings of Ortega who reconstructed this place and he always comes on Saturdays and Sundays so be sure to see him. They also give you a coca leaf tea drink.

Its a great tour arround a replica of an old templo, it only stores Ortega's art pieces, the tour is fun and of course they try to make you buy stuff

Nice renovated museum in Quito, 3.stories high. Contains a few Inca artifacts and a paint exhibit of Indian artists. Nice pyramid overlooking the valley

admission fee of 6$ might’ve expensive in Ecuador but it’s worth it.
The artist draw in front of you beautiful painting in 5 minutes and it’s very impressive.

Nice experience. For 3$ admission fee, you get to visit the museum, view Ortega Malia's works and go through aroma room and all. Also free hot cocoa tea at the end.

Incredible energetic place. Beyond words!!! The energy is SO intense in there.

It's an impressive structure and the tour includes a speech and traditional saumerio when I visited. They have a gift shop and there is art for sale that's painted by the gallery's owner.

This is a beautiful place to visit. I enjoy so much.

What an amazing place to visit when you are around the Mitad del Mundo neighborhood. I really like the whole experience. The museum has art, indigenous culture and even an relaxing and aromatherapy session. You could even see a live paint demonstration by the painter Ortega Maila. There is a cafeteria and souvenir shops.