The Guagua Pichincha, whose meaning would be “child” or “baby Pichincha”, is part of the Pichincha Massif, together with the Ruco Pichincha (4698m), Cerro Ladrillos and the Padre Encantado. The Pichinchas are especially visible from the south of Quito, sometimes with a layer of snow on their upper parts. The Guagua Pichincha Volcano has been active for many years, with eruptions that have been explosive and have caused large columns of ash which have risen kilometers high and have ended up causing abundant ash falls in the city of Quito, especially the eruption of 2001, whose image of the enormous explosive mushroom so far scares and causes admiration to the people in Quito. At present the volcanic activity is medium low, although there are some fumaroles inside the crater and their typical smell can be perceived from the edge of it. This caldera has the shape of a horseshoe open to the west, precisely on that side is exhausted most of the volcanic material expelled in the eruptions.