Hacienda Guachalá

Cayambe, Ecuador

Hacienda Guachalá in Cayambe is the oldest hacienda in Ecuador (1500’s). In it’s heyday it had 12, 000 hectares. (30,000 acres)

The Chapel was the first structure built on the Hacienda in 1580. In 1922 as a result of the socialist revolution in Ecuador, the chapel was cleared out of all religious icons from the altar. After that, services were prohibited, since it was thought the chapel was profane.

The Spanish arrived in Ecuador in 1534. Following their arrival, Guachala was incorporated into the Ecomienda system. In 1964 as part of the Ecuadorian Agrarian Reform, lands were given and divided among indigenous laborers. The hacienda transformed into a family run business in 1993.

This is Diego Bonifaz. Guachala was bought in 1892 by Josefina Ascazubi, who married the Peruvian diplomat Neptali Bonifaz. In 1993 Diego Bonifaz, who had inherited the old hacienda buildings turned these into a hotel. He was previously the mayor of Cayambe

Beautiful purple agapanthus, which grow on the property, adorn every table.

Between 1700 and 1800 the hacienda had around 450 workers of which 300 worked in the obraje (fabric workshop) under really poor conditions. One of the past owners was said to torture the peasants in certain rooms. (there are rumors of ghosts)

As a hotel, some people would find it pretty spartan, but I loved the authenticity!

The church walls are lined with old photos of the hacienda, and also very old photos of Quito. As a photography lover, I was thrilled to see these photos, but also distressed because they are suffering from water and sun damage. There is so much incredible history in these old photos!