Zuleta, Imbabura Province, Ecuador

Dating from the late 16^th century, Hacienda Zuleta is a colonial working farm of 4,000 acres that has belonged to the family of Mr. Galo Plaza Lasso, a former president of Eucador, for more than 100 years.  It was chosen as one of the world’s “Top Ten Finds” by Outside Magazine .

Zuleta was a typical colonial hacienda, built by orders of the King of Spain at the end of the 16^th century.  Much of the original farm was built by the Jesuits and finished late in the 17^th century.  A big part of the construction was finished in 1691, as described by an inscription on an old farm building structure.

Zuleta was bought by the Lasso family in 1898.  Galo Plaza Lasso, who was president of Ecuador from 1948-1952 inherited the Hacienda from his mother and managed the farm until his death in 1987. Galo Plaza Lasso’s father Leonidas Plaza, had also previously been President of Ecuador,

Galo Plaza was twice Ambassador of Ecuador to the United States before becoming President of Ecuador in 1948.  After that he was elected in 1968 as Secretary General of the Organization of American States. 

In 1959 Galo and his wife Rosario started “Bordados de Zuleta” a project intended to help the women of the area to earn an income by embroidering.  The program is still in effect and you can find many of the products in the gift store at the Hacienda.

The hacienda has 21 handsomely decorated guestrooms; beautiful gardens, and multiple gracious living and reading rooms. 

Mambo, guarding the front door.

Margarita Plaza Pallares – youngest daughter of Galo Plaza, lives at the Hacienda and loves to meet guests and entertain with stories of the Hacienda life.

The hacienda produces 6,000 liters of milk daily from approximately 300 Holstein-Friesian cows.  The milk is used to produce cheese in Zuleta’s cheese factory.

 Virtually everything coming to the table of Hacienda Zuleta comes fresh from the organic garden, along with fresh milk, cream, and cheese from Zuleta’s dairy cows.

Local farmers bring their milk to sell to the farm.

The cheese factory, employing local workers.

Mambo, guarding the cheese factory….

The Condor Huasi Rehabilitation Project at Hacienda Zuleta was created to accomplish the conditional reintroduction of captive condors to the wild – condors that have suffered human aggressions,  and come from various types of captivity, and therefore face an uncertain future.

The edducational aspect – specific focus on the children, will be educated in order to raise the level of consciousness of environmental conservation.  Andean Condors in Ecuador are an endangered species, only a maximum of 75 wild condors in the country.  Their food supply has also diminished because of a decrease in the death rate of cattle (condors are carrion eaters)  The Condor Huasi project provides food for wild condors in order to aid to the repopulation process and survival of the Condor. 

Yann, a french biologist, demonstrates the wing span of a condor. Condors can travel up to 186 miles a day, and they can glide for several hours on wind currents when there is good weather. They live approximately 50 years.

Activities for guests include:  miles of trails, hiking, trekking, horseback riding,  riding programs, mountain bikes, bird watching, and even a horse drawn carriage.  There are archaeology tours of the Caranqui Pyraminds of the Pre-incan and Incan Period

Stone plaque on top of farmhouse built by the Jesuits “Behold Sacred sacrament, that this house was finished the 15 of August of 1691”

Hacienda records from 1898

Portrait of Galo Lasso, by Oswaldo Guayasamin