Visiting the Equator
Ecuador means "equator" in Spanish, and with the line passing just north of Quito, the country offers the world's easiest access for paying your respects to 0° latitude. Three sites compete for your attention, the best known of which has been found not to lie on the equator at all. Two things may surprise you: the pine trees and stiff breezes are likely not how you envisioned equatorial climes; and you weigh a couple of pounds less here, gravity's force being slightly lower.
Mitad del Mundo. Ecuador's famous Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World) monument does not sit exactly on the equator. It marks the spot that in 1736 the French Geodesic Mission determined was the latitudinal center of the earth. But GPS satellite technology has demonstrated that the true equator runs about 300 meters (980 feet) north. Visitors today enjoy having their photographs taken as they straddle the painted line here, but, alas, they are really standing entirely in the southern hemisphere. Nonetheless, the site makes an interesting visit. The monument itself is a 30-meter-tall (98-foot-tall) stone obelisk topped by a 2½-ton metal globe. Inside is an Ethnographic Museum with exhibits of the people, clothing, and dwellings of Ecuador's diverse ethnic groups; bilingual guided tours are included in your admission price. The nearby planetarium's show is in Spanish only, and is put on only if at least 15 people are in attendance. The rest of the site is constructed to resemble a colonial village, with most buildings housing souvenir shops. 1 km (½ mi) from San Antonio de Pichincha, 02/222–0360; www.mitaddelmundo.com. Site, $2; ethnographic museum, $3; planetarium, $1.50. Mon.–Thurs. 9–6, Fri.–Sun. 9–7.
Intiñan. Just beyond Mitad del Mundo lies Intiñan, the site that the Geodesic Expedition meant to find but didn't. The highlight here is a small museum with some basic science exhibits illustrating the effects of physics at 0° latitude. In particular, everyone oohs over the demonstrations of an egg balancing on the tip of a nail without falling, and of the north and south drains with clockwise or counterclockwise swirling water. Your admission ticket includes a guided tour in English or Spanish. 200 meters north of Mitad del Mundo traffic circle, hwy. to Calacalí, 02/239–5122; www.intinan.org. $2. Daily 9:30–5:30.
Quitsato. If Intiñan approximates high-school science experiments, Quitsato, where the equator crosses the Pan-American Highway on the way to Otavalo, offers the subject's most academic treatment of the three sites, with ongoing research into the astronomy, history, and archaeology of equatorial observation. Quitsato's highlight is the enormous, 54-meter (177-foot) walk-on sundial, which, of course, casts no shadow at noon. The Solar Culture Museum here has an informative bilingual talk about peoples' use of the sun in measurements during the pre-Columbian epoch. The site is a standard stop on many of the day tours out of Quito to Otavalo. Cayambe, Km 55, Pan-American Hwy., 02/236–3042; www.quitsato.org. Donation requested. Daily 9:30–5:30.
