ABOUT ACTIVITIES AT HACIENDA ZULETA - in their own words:

While at Zuleta you can enjoy a wonderful array of activities within the private 1.800 hectare property.

Miles of meandering mountain roads and trails make Zuleta an oasis for horseback riding, mountain biking, and hiking.

Horseback Riding:
Zuleta is renowned for the Zuleteño horse which is a unique mixture of Spanish-Andalusian, English and Quarter horses. The outcome of this cross-breeding is a robust Andean horse with a good disposition for riding. Many of our guests come specifically to Zuleta for one of our 3 to 7 day riding programs. Riders will have numerous opportunities to explore the Andean countryside along high altitude trails (between 9.000 and 11.000 feet) that wind through ‘páramo’ grasslands and cloud forest, along cobblestone trails and through local villages. All excursions are accompanied by a local guide, although an english speaking guide is always available. All-day rides include a fine, 3 course country picnic with wine and Zuleta cheeses.

Archaeology:
Archaeological tours of the Caranqui Pyramids take you back in time to when the Zuleta valley was populated by ancient civilizations.    

Pre-Incan and Incan Period :The original inhabitants of the Zuleta region were the peace-loving Caranquis. They were an agrarian-based culture and flourished in this area rich in volcanic soils from about 800 A.D. until the arrival of the war-faring Incas in the late 1470's. Although the Caranquis fought stoically against the Inca for forty years, they were eventually conquered and forced into Inca servitude. Yet Inca rule was short-lived. By 1534, the last Inca king, Atahualpa, had been captured and assassinated by the Spanish conquistador, Pizarro, leaving the Inca empire in collapse and a free for all for the land-hungry vassals of the Spanish Crown.

The Community Embroidery Project:
Pre-Colombian Andean cultures boast a long tradition of weaving abilities, far surpassing those of Europe in the same era. The most talented weavers could produce material with as many as five hundred two-ply woolen wefts per inch. The highest figure attained in Europe before the industrial revolution was a mere one hundred.

Originally, traditional resources were used such as cotton and llama and alpaca wool to create complicated brocades, tapestries, double cloth and gauze. However, with the arrival of Spanish in the mid 1500's, new resources were introduced, such as silk embroidery yarns. The Zuleteña women quickly incorporated these yarns into their weavings, and centuries later they are now renouned for their hand embroidery expertise, unique designs and colors.

Zuleteño embroidery was originally used to decorate the Zuleteña women’s clothing. The style was so unique it actually became a form of cultural identification that has persisted to the present day, when so many folk arts are being lost.

Without doubt, this is in part due to former Ecuadorian president Galo Plaza Lasso and his wife Doña Rosario, owners of Hacienda Zuleta from the 1940's. Doña Rosario was inspired during one of her trips to Italy and Spain where in small villages she saw women embroidering on their doorsteps. On her return to Hacienda Zuleta, she proposed creating a workshop that would take advantage of the Zuleteña women’s embroidery skills and produce articles for sale, as well as provide an additional income for the Zuleteño homes.

This marked the beginning of the Zuleta Embroidery Workshop and the revitalization of hand-embroidered Zuleteño textiles.

Children at the Galo Plaza Lasso School began receiving embroidery classes. Simultaneously, a group of women started working together at the Hacienda’s workshop. The result was hugely successful: the women created exquisitely embroidered tablecloths, blouses, placemats and towels, and family incomes were significantly increased. Less obvious, but of great cultural significance, the Zuleteño people reaffirmed a true sense of community pride and realized the importance of preserving their unique craft.

In the early 1960’s Sr.Plaza obtained technical assistance from the Peace Corps to organize the workshop. Today there is a large group of women that earn a living from Zuleta Embroidery, some of who have independent workshops.

Over the years the distinct Zuleteño style hasn't changed. However, colors and applications have manifested themselves in new ways, thus providing a modern context for an ancient artform. Out of the original group of women that started the workshop a few still work at the Hacienda side by side with the next generation of Zuleteño embroiderers. The aim of the workshop continues to be to supplement the basic agrarian income of the people in the surrounding communities, as well as to preserve the cultural tradition of the Zuleta Embroidery and Dress. The workshop is now managed under the auspices of the Galo Plaza Lasso Foundation as a social project benefiting over one hundred families in the Zuleta region.

All the products are completely hand-made in an effort to preserve the meaning “Cultural Heritage”. Zuleta Embroidery is indeed a tribute to the artistic talent of these women.

Today, the Zuleta embroideries can be found in many stores throughout Ecuador. Custom-orders are also available upon request.

Now the Foundacion does not longer run a workshop, but provides a place for merchandising. In our shop "El Taller" at the hacienda we exhibit and sell embroidery for the women from Zuleta and other envolved comunities.

Alternatively, you can visit our shop in Quito (Veintemilla y 6 de Diciembre). Bring the beauty of Zuleta emboidery into your own home!

Condor Huasi Rehabilitation Project:
The CONDOR HUASI project has been created to accomplish the conditional reintroduction of captive condors to the wild. It also includes an educational objective of ‘páramo’ (high-altitude grasslands) conservation for the communities living in the area.
           
CONDOR HUASI is located in ‘La Rinconada of San Pedro’, in the property of Hacienda Zuleta, in the community of ‘La Rinconada’, parish of Angochagua, county of Ibarra, province of Imbabura, Ecuador, South America.

The initiative for this project was taken by Dr. Friedman Koster, zoologist and condor expert, and Heide Koster, biologist, with the support of the Galo Plaza Lasso Foundation. The planning, management and performance of the project are now under the supervision of the Foundation, with the technical support of Dr.Friedman and Heide Koster. CONDOR HUASI`s main objective is environmental education, which attempts to raise the level of consciousness of the children and the general population in the area on the importance of the conservation of wildlife and natural resources, with a focus on the conservation of ‘páramos’. We hope to accomplish this through the following measures:

1. To keep in optimal conditions a group of Andean condors that have suffered human aggressions and come from various types of captivity and therefore face an uncertain future.

2. To have at least one couple of condors that will be able to reproduce in the future, with the aim of establishing new colonies of wild condors in specific Ecuadorian locations.

3. By means of educational activities in the communities surrounding Hacienda Zuleta, conservation efforts will be strengthened. CONDOR HUASI`s condors will provide a focus of attention for visitors, to whom it will be easier to educate on the protection of wildlife in the Andes and in other regions of Ecuador. This measure complements the GPL Foundation’s ‘páramo’ wildlife (eg.Spectacled bears) conservation project.

4. To establish a group of semi-captive condors. There is a high probability that this group will make contact with wild condors. This will allow us to obtain valuable and detailed information on wild condor colonies and to establish specific feeding sites for them near CONDOR HUASI. As a result, CONDOR HUASI will be able to support this wild condor colony away from the threat of hunters and poachers.

The CONDOR HUASI project has been divided into three stages:

* CONDOR HUASI (I) involved the preparation of the cages and the transfer of the condors to their new habitat.
* CONDOR HUASI (II) includes the educational aspect of the project. The communities located in the surrounding area, with a specific focus on the children, will be educated in order to raise the level of consciousness of environmental conservation.
* CONDOR HUASI (III) is the final stage of the project. The condors will become accustomed to flying freely around the area, returning each day to the area of ‘La Rinconada of San Pedro’ to spend the night and be fed.

The infrastructure consists of a cage of the following dimensions: length=30m., width=30m., and heigth=8m., divided into three sections. Each section has a shelter against rain and sun and a small pool to provide a fresh water supply for the condors. Hacienda Zuleta and the Anhalzer chicken house are responsible for providing the food for the condors and controlling their diet.

Currently CONDOR HUASI has five male condors and one female, ranging in age from 3 to 35 years old. These condors attract other condors to the area; we frequently see wild condors flying about and food is provided for them. In addition, condors have been seen in the area performing their mating flight.

Today, the situation of the Andean Condor in Ecuador has reached a critical point. There are a maximum of 75 wild condors in the country, which makes them an endangered species. The Condor’s food supply has also diminished in recent years, partly due to the decrease in the death rate of cattle (Condors are carrion eaters), which poses yet another threat to their survival. This is why the CONDOR HUASI project provides food for wild condors in order to aid to the repopulation process and the basic survival of the Condor.

Recently, ecological groups with a focus on condor survival have joined together to create a common policy with regard to the protection of this spectacular species