With perhaps more pomp and circumstance than you'll encounter anywhere else in Loja, the City Gate greets you into downtown from the northern corner. It's a giant castle with an arched doorway spanning Sucre, a street forging south (from the confluence of Ríos Zamora and Malacatus) towards the central plazas.
Inside, the helpful staff, second-floor archaeological museum, cafe and several lookouts orchestrate an ideal intro to the city.