Machachi Equador

 

Holaotravez,                                                 9agosto, 2010           Machachi Ecuador

Last Sunday,a sizable number of us converged upon the town of Machachi for a fine day at Hacienda Bolivia, a nearly 200 year-old farm first owned by General Mariscal Sucre and his wife, the MarqueseSolanda.

General Sucre is a national hero of the first order since he led the country in its battle for independence from the Spanish.  Ecuador is celebrating its bicentennial* in 2010 and the name Sucre has lived on in countless ways throughout the country.  A few examples follow:  Until the late 1990s the Sucre was currency of Ecuador; Mariscal Sucre International is Quito’s airport;Sucre is the name of many important thoroughfares in Ecuador and the title of the capital city’s main financial and commercial districts.

Members of ourgroup came from Quito and from two suburban communities, Cumbaya and Puembo.  Cumbaya is a bustling city in its own right with cineplexes, shopping malls, auto dealers and neighborhoods populated mostly by multi-tasking commuters with families while the more distant Puembo remains more a village in character. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hacienda de Bolivia’smain house has evolved through a number of additions that reflect their chronology, among other ways, through the thickness of walls.  The original walls are easily four feet deep while later additions, as recent as the 1960s, are far less formidable though very sturdy.  Reinforced concrete and concrete block remain the most common building material even today.  Wood or aluminum studs, veneers and drywall do not capture much of the construction market.

As have many other haciendas in South America, this farm’s function also has evolved with the times.  Today, the buildings and expansive acreage, measured in hectares, serve as a hosteria named Papagayo that attracts guests from bothAmericas, Europe and elsewhere in the world.  Horseback riding, jungle-style hiking, civilized walking and good food are among the offerings. Adding more interest are assorted gardens, dairy cows, chickens, geese, at least one goat and a family of disinterested llamas.

The occasion was a sort of open house and the activities included choose-up-sides futbol (soccer) with calves allowed to join the game in a fenced enclosure.  The calves were “platooned in,” one at a time and gave chase to the ball but more often to the players.  The movements of eachcalf perfectly mimicked those of el toro himself and sent players racing to the fences for quick climbs to safety. 

 

*More about the bicentennial to follow

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

Other games were played on horseback with some having roots in the indigenous cultures of Ecuador.  The most entertaining of all involved a free-for-all among an indeterminate number of riders each of whom had a small balloon tied the rear of his or her saddle.  Before the “go” signal was given each rider was issued what might be best described as a sturdy, foot long toothpick.  Doubtless, the object of the contest is clear but what might be difficult to imagine is the athleticism of the riders and their mounts as they charged, stopped cold, galloped and dodged until the last balloon was stabbed.  Not for the faint of heart.