Chimborazo Volcano

Chimborazo is the colossus of the Andes with 6.263,47 meters above sea, worldwide known as "The closest point to the Sun". This is because the diameter of the Earth at Equatorial latitude is bigger than in the Everest latitude, therefore, measured from the center of the planet Chimborazo is 2 km higher than the Asian mountain and its peak is the nearest point to outer space.

 

It is located 20 km northeast of the city of Riobamba, being the highest volcano and mountain in Ecuador, located in the central Andes. Its name translated from Quichua means "Red-Hot Snowy Mountain"; it also means "God of Ice" or "Sacred Wind of the Moon". Surrounded by the "Chimborazo Fauna Reserve", it forms an ecosystem to preserve the habitat of vicunas, llamas and alpacas.

 

Its topside is covered with glaciers. On clear sky days it can be seen from the city of Guayaquil which 142 km away. Until the 19th century Chimborazo was considered the highest mountain on the planet. The first man who got to the top was Edward Whymper in 1880.

 

A tradition of the nearby communities to this volcano was to take the ice from the glaciers to the village to prepare drinks. These people were known as "The Icemakers of Chimborazo". Today there is only one person who dedicates to this activity and is Mr. Baltasar Ushca, "The last icemaker of Chimborazo". This activity consists of cutting blocks of ice from the glacier on Tuesdays and Fridays and transporting them with mules to Riobamba city to sell them in snow cones, called "raspados".

 

The Chimborazo appears in the Ecuador’s coat of arms. Simon Bolívar, the liberator of America, wrote in 1822 a poem inspired by the volcano, "My delirium on Chimborazo”.