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The ancient inhabitants of Ecuador, right on the Earth’s equator, had the unique opportunity to observe the sky at its greatest, both during days and nights. Being at the Center of the World, and up in the mountains, they had an excellent natural location for astronomical observations, an entire panorama of the celestial heavens, as both the northern and southern skies are visible, and it was easier for them to determine the movements of the Sun.
Tour Details
At the heart of an exuberant subtropical forest to the northwest, very close to Quito the capital of Ecuador, lays Tulipe, the ceremonial center of the Yumbo culture. Bordering a river of crystal-clear waters, this is a unique energetic site where ceremonial practices of this pre-Hispanic society took place to honor the sun, their highest deity. The visit to Tulipe is a kind of pilgrimage to this sacred place, a spiritual, mystical encounter with nature, for a better understanding of the importance of the sun for the ancient civilizations of the Center of the World – including a visit to the monument marking Latitude 0°.
Additional Information
Because of the earth’s 23.5-degree tilt, the sun does not rise and set in the same place each day., but twice a year, during the Equinoxes on March 20 and September 21st the sun rises in the east and follows the equator line for 12 hours, setting exactly in the west. At midday on an equinox, the sun is at its zenith over the equator and no objects cast a shadow there. The sun not only determined the agricultural cycles, it was considered the highest deity in the Andean world.
Guests can now visit Tulipe, one of these ancient sites for astronomical and solar observations, in a kind of pilgrimage to this sacred place, a spiritual, mystical encounter with nature, the unique energetic sites and ceremonial practices of pre-Hispanic societies and their relation to the Solar Cultures.
Tulipe, unique due to its position as a link between the coastal and Andean pre-Columbian cultures, lies at the heart of an exuberant subtropical forest to the northwest and very close to Quito, bordering a river of crystal-clear waters; it was the ceremonial center of the Yumbo culture. The Yumbos were peaceful people dedicated to agriculture and commerce, with a close relationship with their environment and Solar Cosmovision. It features stone structures like pools or water mirrors of various forms, joined together by a network of aqueducts, where the shamans (priests) and yachaks (sage men) performed astronomic observations, ceremonies and cults to the sun and the moon. A hike on a path leading to the main pool is particularly interesting, surrounded by trees and medicinal, ritual and ornamental plants that borders the Tulipe River.
The pre-Hispanic Yumbo etnia lived in this region from 800 to 1660; they were mindalaes or merchants, who controlled the crucial trade route between the Pacific Coast, the Andes and the Amazon to the east. Their very interesting ancient mountain paths or coluncos can still be used; these are deep and narrow passageways, covered by entwined vegetation that formed a roof and allowed the merchants to travel under this cool protection.
After lunch, a visit is made to the Quitsa-to Project, for a better understanding of the importance of the sun for the ancient civilizations of the Center of the World – including a visit to the monument marking Latitude 0°.
Travel Facts
- Dress in layers (T-shirt, blouse, sweater, coat)
- Take rain protection
- This tour includes walking at altitudes averaging 1450 meters above sea level
- Sun protection (SPF 40)
- Hat or cap
- Good walking shoes
- Temperature: Day, average 15° to 28° C / 59° to 82° F.
Quito Cultural Tours
Quito, ethereal city of translucent vitality
The capital of Ecuador has a setting that few cities can match. During the 13th century it was the prosperous center of the Kingdom of the Quitus. It later became the northern capital of the Inca Empire. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Colonial architects built formidable temples, monasteries and mansions, creating an urban jewel designated by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site. Quito's artistic creativity awaits the visitor in cosmopolitan galleries and boutiques filled with contemporary paintings, sculptures and exquisite traditional crafts.
The stay in Quito must include a visit to the Colonial sector, the old and charming city with 400 years of Spanish heritage. Also, visit the Middle of the World, the very center of the earth, at latitude 0°, and enjoy a performance of the JACCHIGUA Folklore Ballet featuring a troupe of brilliantly costumed dancers reenacting traditional rituals and celebrations.
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