The reserve includes four different habitat zones, from 900 to 2,785 meters above sea level, and is home to a vast diversity of flora and fauna.

Because of its immense plant diversity, Dr Grady L Webster termed Maquipucuna 'the crown jewel of the Andes' and Quito, the "world capital of biodiversity'.

Archaeological studies indicate the pre-Incan Yumbos people once inhabited the land that is today Maquipucuna.

[8] The main pre-Inca trail found at Maquipucuna is believed to lead to Cachillacta, or the land of salt.

The Maquipucuna area was very important before colonial times, circa 1500 BC, because it was arguably the main sources of salt for the chiefdom in Quito.