"La Mitad del Mundo" Top 5 Page for this destination Quito Off The Beaten Path Tip by MalenaN

La Mitad del Mundo means the middle of the world. This is the place where an European expedition made measurements in 1736 and stated that this is where the equator is. The expedition was lead by the Frenchman Charles-Marie de La Condamine and during his expedition it was also proved that the world bulges near the equator.

At La Mitad del Mundo the equator is painted as a yellow line and you can take photos were you stand with one foot in each hemisphere (you could at least think that). However, modern measurements have proven that the exact location of the equator is not here but a few hundred metres away. At Museo de Sitio Intiñan they say that this is where the equator is (and it also says so in some guidebooks), but I have read that the equator is not here either. So where is it? Maybe at Catequilla, an ancient indigenous site on a nearby hill.

Anyway, the equator is near to La Mitad del Mundo. At the centre of La Mitad del Mundo there is a 30m high stone monument with a brass globe on top. Inside the monument there is an ethnographic museum and a viewing platform from where you will have nice views of the surroundings. Inside the complex there are several museums and exhibition halls, restaurants and souvenir shops. At weekends it can be quite crowded and live music is sometimes performed on Sunday afternoons.

La Mitad del Mundo is open between 9 - 18 on Monday - Friday, and between 9 - 20 on Saturday - Sunday. There is an admission to enter the complex, $2 (August 2011) and for some museums there is an extra admission.