Amazonas: Available Activities

Indian Markets
Museums
The middle of the World

Visiting the Middle of the World
"La Mitad Del Mundo"

The most famous local excursion out of Quito is to the equator at "La Mitad Del Mundo" or the Middle of the World near the village of San Antonio, about 22-km north of Quito. It is here in 1736, Charles-Marie de La Condamine's expedition made the measurements that showed that this was where the equator was indeed to be found. The measurement gave rise to the metric system and also proved that the world was not perfectly round but rather that it bulged at the equator.

The center, where the middle of the world monument now stands, is just outside of the village of San Antonio. At the center of the complex one will find the monument. The monument is the massive 30-meter high "La Mitad Del Mundo." You can ride to the top of the monument using an elevator and view the village of San Antonio, and the grounds surrounding the monument itself.

Looking toward the village of San Antonio, you will be able to view the "colonial village" that was constructed near the monument. You can see a village square, a small church, various shops selling goods produced in Ecuador (postcards and souvenirs), and several places to eat. Also located on the grounds (just to the right of the village square when you are looking down from the monument) is a planetarium run by the IGM that has a variety of shows for the public.

At top of the monument is a massive brass globe, 4 and half meters in diamater. You can walk around this brass globe. It was an engineering feat to place this globe on top of the stone monument. The stone trapezoidal "La Mitad Del Mundo" monument is literately built on the equator (you will see a line running through the center of the stairs and walk way leading up to the monument) so you have the opportunity to stand in both the Northern and Southern hemisphere at the same time.

The "Museo Ethnografico" is located in the monument itself. Once you have taken in the view from the top of the monument, you then can walk down through the center of monument. At each floor level you will find various interesting and well-displayed exhibits showing the many different Indian tribes that make up the indigenous population of Ecuador. A guide will explain each level, in Spanish, and it is here you have the opportunity to listen and learn Spanish in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. The museum and monument are open daily from 10am to 4pm Tuesday to Friday and 10am to 5pm Saturday and Sunday.

Outside of the La Mitad Del Mundo complex, and located on the other side of San Antonio, is a "solar museum" that can be found in a small red brick building. This solar museum houses fascinating exhibits delicated to astronomical geography and you will find a great deal of information that will help you understand the importance of Ecuador's unique geographical location. One of the highlights of this museum is a "solar chronometer" that was made in 1865. This instrument shows the precise astronomical and conventional time, as well as the month, day, and season, all by using the rays of the sun. Not as large or overly spectacular a museum in comparison to La Mitad Del Mundo, it is still a special and unique museum built by the Ecuadorian scientist Luciano Andrade Marin in the 1950's. You have to ask for an appointment to visit the museum and is another possible place that you as a student may visit.