Pululahua Volcano: At 1800 to 3300 MASL (5900 to 10800 ft) is a medium-to-high-altitude reserve located north of Volcano Pichincha with 3383 hectares (8359.27 acres).  It is located just west of Mitad del Mundo and has been our home for 5 wonderful years of peaceful living.  The name “Pululahua” is a Quichua word that means “cloud of water” or fog. This name is a good match to this caldera since every day it gets covered with fog usually in the afternoon. This moisture comes from the west, from the direction of the coast. This moisture travels northeast through the Guayllabamba river gorge and condenses in the form of fog when it enters the cool environment of the caldera.  Click here for a full description.

Geological Description: It is a caldera formed from the collapsed volcano after it emptied it’s magma chamber during the eruptions dating back to 500 B.C., or 2500 years ago.  This type of formation is typical of very strong eruptions that weaken the internal structure of a volcano.  The caldera has three lava domes, Pondoña, El Chivo, and Pan de Azucar, which formed in the years following the eruption, and after the volcano collapsed.   The highest elevation of this volcano is the Sincholagua hill on the north eastern side of the caldera at an elevation of 3356 meters.

The enormous strength of its eruption covered the coast of Ecuador with ash, destroying many cultures nearby and other far away such as Chorrera near Bahia de Caraquez, in the province of Manta.  The ash covering most of the arqueological findings of the Chorrera Culture confirm the date and the effects of the Pululahua volcano eruption.  This is clearly explained in Central Bank Museum in Bahia de Caraquez.