The centers of the world in Ecuador
Yes, you read that correctly. You can visit two “middle of the world” sites in Ecuador just outside of Quito.
Why? Because there’s been disagreement over time as to where it is/was, and both places that were once considered the center still contend they are the center.
Mitad Del Mundo
The primary one, called Monument to the Equator, highlights the exact location of the Equator as determined by the 1736 Geodesic Mission of the French Academy of Science. T
he current monument is about 100 feet tall (30 meters) and was built around 1980 to replace a smaller monument. There are some interesting displays about the indigenous people of Ecuador in the tower which you can climb to the top to get a nice view of the area. Additionally, there are some shops and restaurants at the site.
Intiñan Solar Museum
Just a couple hundred feet away is another location claiming to be the center of the world, called the Intiñan Solar Museum. This is an odd combination of tourist trap and educational experience. There are several displays of Ecuadorian culture and natural history information, including a preserved penis fish (look it up), which are educational, but then they put on supposed demonstrations involving the Coriolis effect and balancing an egg on its end, that “work” because of the location on the equator, but it’s all just tricks or things you can do anywhere. The entrance is only a few dollars, so it was still worth it for us as our guide was entertaining and the cultural displays were interesting.
