Its location and closeness to the sun made it a sacred city to the Inca. There was a vibrant, developed culture in Ecuador before the region was conquered by the Inca, and later by the Spanish. There is a wonderful archeological site at Rumipamba near Rucu Pichincha and the TelefericQo cable cars. There is a museum of art and artifacts from the indigenous cultures that thrived before the Inca expanded their empire. There are also some interesting active archeological dig sites, where researchers are learning more about the pre-Inca period of Ecuadorian history.
Another fun fact is about the highest mountain in the world. Most people would immediately say Mount Everest in the Himalayas at 8,849 meters (29,032 feet). That is correct if you’re measuring from sea level. The highest mountain/volcano in Ecuador is Chimborazo 6,263 meters (20,574 feet). It is obviously not as high as Everest. The interesting thing is that the Earth bulges out a bit at the Equator. If you measure what is the point farthest from the center of the Earth, that would be Chimborazo. Being on the Equator, Chimborazo becomes not necessarily the highest mountain, but the one that is closest to the sun. It is about 2,100 meters (6,890 feet) farther from the center of the Earth than Mount Everest.
With so many mountains and volcanoes, one of the most popular sports in Ecuador is mountaineering. People come from all over the world to climb the mountain and experience the thrill of climbing and the incredible views from the summits.
