Juuuussttt kidddinng now we’re actually hitting up the center of the world
So here’s what happened: In the 1700s there was no doubt that the Earth was round but it was believed that it was not a perfect circle, budging around the center. So in 1735, the French Academy of Science sought to determine whether the circumference of the Earth was larger at the poles or the center. Two teams were dispatched, one near the Arctic Circle and the other to South America (they got the better end of the deal in my opinion). Starting in Peru and trekking north to Quito, the team completed measurements of latitude and the Earth’s curvature along the way. Finally after eight years and a hell of a lot of math later, the scientists declared they had found the center of the world. (The Arctic expedition found the poles to be flat thus proving the Earth is not a perfect circle.) In the 1970s, a large monument was proudly displayed, straddling both hemispheres.
One tiny itty bitty mistake though, the documented site is actually around 240 meters off. Using GPS the “real” Equator was discovered and is where the Museo Intinan now sits. On the Equator it is possible to balance an egg on the head of a nail, watch the varying direction of water swirling down the drain depending which hemisphere you’re standing on, and try to tightrope the Equator. We also learned about an indigenous tribe that used to live in the area and would cut off the heads of their enemies to be shrunken and worn as necklaces…what a bold fashion choice.
