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The Spaniards arrived in the area of Quito in 1534, and the Colonial rule lasted until 1822. During that time many large estates -or Haciendas- were established in the Andean region, privileged as it is by a year-round spring-like weather and by the fertility of its soil. Colonial-style manor houses were built in some of those estates, and simpler, country-style, but equally as beautiful houses were built in other ones.
Some of those estates are no longer large, but many of the houses remain. And in a few cases the properties now welcome guests who cannot only enjoy the beauty and the atmosphere of those Haciendas, but also be invited (by the Haciendas' owners) to a direct immersion into typical Ecuadorian lifestyle.
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Alternative Promotions' selection: Hacienda San Agustín de Callo
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HACIENDA SAN AGUSTIN DE CALLO
Circa 1440 - "Invaded by the Incas, razed by the conquerors"
"Mt Cotopaxi has the most beautiful and most regular form of all the colossal peaks of the high Andes. It is like a perfect cone covered by a thick mantle of snow that shines brilliantly at dusk as if it was coming loose from the blue of the sky".
Alexander von Humboldt, 1820
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One hour and fifteen minutes south of Quito one finds the beautiful and as yet not so well known Hacienda San Agustín de Callo. Built in the site of an important Inca palace, this farm offers to knowledgeable travelers an unsurpassed glance of the rich and diverse past of Ecuador.
Since the 15th Century it has been used, at different times, as an Inca fortress, Augustinian monastery, and temporary home to the Geodesic French Mission that came to the equator to measure the circumference of the Earth in the late seventeen hundreds. Looking out of the farm house, Frederic E. Church, well known painter of the "Hudson River school", painted Mt. Cotopaxi, the tallest active volcano in the World.
Two of the Inca-built rooms which have survived the passing centuries have been converted into the Chapel and the dining room.
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Their walls, perfectly carved out of huge volcanic rocks, constitute a reminder of long gone indigenous workmanship. The dining room, with its single window opening in front on Mt. Cotopaxi, offers a perfect atmosphere to enjoy local Ecuadorian gastronomy.
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Guests staying at San Agustín have the opportunity to visit and trek in the Cotopaxi National Park, go out trout fishing, horseback riding, and visit the close-by indigenous markets in the towns of Saquisilí, Latacunga and Pujilí.
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