Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve, Protected volcanic area in Pichincha Province, Ecuador

Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve is a protected volcanic area in Pichincha Province, Ecuador, covering 3,383 hectares between 1,600 and 3,256 meters above sea level. Its semi-destroyed caldera, 12 kilometers in diameter, contains three lava domes: Pondoña, Chivo, and Pan de Azúcar. The crater floor is farmed by about 40 families, while the outer slopes hold cloud forest and páramo vegetation.

The volcano experienced its last major eruption more than two thousand years ago, leaving the present crater. Ecuador's government declared the area the country's first national park in 1966 and changed the designation to a geobotanical reserve in 1978.

Inside the volcanic crater, farming families grow corn, beans and other crops on terraces they work by hand. The methods follow techniques used in this high-altitude zone since before Spanish arrival.

The starting point for the descent lies in the Ventanillas sector, where a viewing platform above the crater rim and administration facilities are located. Trails lead from the rim down to the crater floor, but the altitude requires some adjustment and caution in changing weather.

Between the Pondoña dome and El Chivo, large stones were aligned with the shape of the El Chivo dome to mark the sun's position at the December 21 solstice, as recorded in Boris Ullauri M.'s 2012 archaeoastronomical study. The alignment shows the astronomical knowledge of the peoples of the equatorial lands.