Graffiti abounds in Quito. Long cement walls make perfect canvases for graffiti artists and there are many to be found in this big city. The quality of art differs from place to place but a few locations offer excellent examples of what graffiti has come to be in South America – both a political statement and a work of art. However, not everyone is a fan and entire collections can disappear overnight.

Earlier this summer, I photographed a particularly well-known wall on the corner of 6 de Diciembre and Portugal. I left for a month. When I returned, I was shocked to find the wall painted a bright white. When graffiti in London disappears, it can likely show up at auction, especially if it is a piece by the famous Banksy. But here in Ecuador, little attention is paid the complete erasure of potentially valuable pieces.

In fact, news reports are more focused on a team of graffiti grammar experts than they are on the disappearance of entire art collections. If the works shown below had needed a little red lettering to make them understandable, perhaps they wouldn’t have so easily disappeared.

Here is the lost graffiti:

By Apitatán

By Steep

By +MUZ.36

By ArtMaz Aum

By Panico

By MSC

By PMP & Oz

If you have links to any of these artists other works, please provide them in the comments below or visit the Not Your Average American Facebook page and share there.