Exploring Mitad del Mundo

“Ecuador” = equator in Spanish and it’s worth having a look at the country’s namesake, especially if Quito is on your Ecuadorian itinerary.

You can bus there easily but if short on time an Uber will only set you back about $14 and take around 45 minutes from Quito’s old quarter.

Let it be known that the small village that was built around the north meets south phenomenon known as Mitad del Mundo isn’t technically the center of the world.

The village of Mitad del Mundo divided by the “equator”

Long story short, a group of scientists got it wrong back in the eighteenth century. Of course, they didn’t pay any attention to the location where the indigenous population had been gathering for years to acknowledge the solstice, a place now known as Catequilla. So up went the monument and now there is a museum, a brewery, a number of eateries, a slew of shops and a chocolate museum – all 240 meters off the mark, literally.

Despite the inaccuracy, the site is pretty amazing. Entry is $5, and yes it is full of onlookers getting all the token photos as well as tourists seemingly jumping from one hemisphere to the other (as you will too!) but the museum is fantastic and has a lot of great information about indigenous history with a side of science.

Had to be done!

After spending two hours at the site including an obligatory sampling of the beer and chocolate we walked 240 meters down the road to Intiñan Solar Museum, the true center of the earth, as discovered when GPS technology came out. Entry is $4, and despite its overtly gimmicky nature, it is very educational, entertaining and in my opinion worth doing. Over the course of about an hour, the guide, which comes with the entry fee, demonstrates several experiments (think sinks draining and eggs balancing) that has both kids and adults impressed.

The “actual“ centre of the world - apparently!

I was nicely surprised by both sites and hope you will be too!