Hacienda Gauchala, Ecuador

All photos are clickable

The UCLA students and staff stayed at the Hacienda Guachala, 2 miles south of the equator on the road between Cayambe and Cangahua (http://www.guachala.com/english/). It is the oldest Hacienda in Ecuador. It was first established at a higher elevation. It was relocated here and the old church was consecrated in 1583. Many of the buildings date from this period, but they have been renovated many times.

The Hacienda hosts groups of "adventure travelers" as well as many German mountain climbers who spend several days here while ascending nearby Mt. Cayambe. Notice the American Express sign by the entrance.

Hacienda
Hacienda Sign
   
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Entrance
   
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The Driveway
   
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Front
   
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Side View
   


George and I stayed in room 8. The room was furnished with a double bed, a single bed, a table and chair, a stool, and two nightstands. There were sheets, a bedspread, and two heavy blankets on the bed. I needed additional warmth from a heavy winter sleeping bag placed on top like a comforter (George did not). There were two electrical plugs in the room with US pin patterns and 110 volts. There was a private bathroom with shower that most days got hot water (with restricted flow).

Ecuadorian plumbing is built to handle human waste and often not even that. All toilet paper is to be deposited in the trash can. The protocol for paper tinged with shit is to wrap it up with clean toilet paper into a nice, tight package before depositing it into the trash can.

Heat was provided by a fireplace. The fireplace was cleaned daily and eucalyptus wood was stacked in the fireplace and in a basket beside the fireplace each day. George had to go scouting for extra kindling each evening. Once the fire was lit, it would burn very hot for about an hour, then smolder all night. The dying flames was our cue to go to bed.

Our room was located in a wing that used to be a series of stables. We don't know when the stables were converted to guest rooms. On some days they would pasture horses in the grassy area between our room and the lab. Traveling between both places involved avoiding the piles of horse poo during the day. Night navigation with flashlights taught us to be grateful if we avoided the rocks and not care about the poo -- it washes off.


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Our Doorway
   
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Inside Our Room
   
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Our Fireplace
   
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Our wing
   
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Horses Grazing
   


The "new" church was built in 1938. It is currently being used as a museum, containing pre-Inca, Inca, and colonial artifacts found on Hacienda property as well as documents pertaining to the Hacienda's history. During our stay at the Hacienda, workmen started repairing the leaks in the church roof. They found a mummy of a newborn (stillborn?) child and a rat high in the rafters, to one side of the altar. Perhaps the child died before it was babtized and could not be buried in consecrated soil. They may have placed it in the rafters of the church to make it easier for an angel to find the child and carry it to heaven. The tradition on burying a child with a rat is common in the Andes, but I do not understand the symbolism involved.

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The Church
   
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Church Tower
   
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Church Interior
   
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The Mummies
   


The Governor lives in a house on the same property. His grandchildren would often play at the Hacienda play yard with their nanny (stone castle, swings, and playhouse). The students stayed in dormatories of 7+ in a room sharing a single bathroom. Often one would leave dinner before dessert was served to get first dibs on the shower. Food was served in the dining room for breakfast and dinner, and we could pack our own lunches (sandwiches, fruit). We spent a lot of time in the library, where we had wifi at $2 USD an hour. This is pretty ritzy for an archaeology fieldschool.

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The Governor's House
   
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Library
   
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Corridor
   
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Hammock
   
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Outer Buildings
   


©2009-2011 Sandy Schreyer