Opened by President García Moreno in 1864, this four-sided observatory is the oldest on the continent. It houses a museum of 19th-century pendulums, sextants, chronometers and other historic instruments, and opens for stargazing on Thursday and Friday nights (with sessions at 6pm and 7:30pm, admission $3) – but only go if the sky is clear. It sits inside the small Parque La Alameda.
