Quito

The chulla and the voices of Quito

The chulla quiteño is a character as well as the subject of a song: a bohemian figure associated with the Ecuadorian capital. In “El chulla quiteño”, the character sings of a life spent singing and of the city’s charm. The pasacalle is associated with composer Alfredo Carpio.

Among its best-known interpreters were Dúo Benítez-Valencia, Gonzalo Benítez and Luis Alberto Valencia. Their repertoire included pasacalles, albazos and pasillos as well as songs naming Quito. A municipal account remembers the pair performing at a serenade for the city in December 1961.

The duo also appeared at the first Festival de la Canción Nacional in 1958 at Teatro Sucre, where the festival honoured established performers. A separate event held days later included a dramatisation of “El chulla quiteño”.