Pisco Huasi
in "Quechua" language"The House of Birds"
A rescued forest!!!
 

1- Introduction:

The area formed by the valleys of Quinara, Vilcabamba and Malacatos used to be called the ¨Sacred Valley of Vilcabamba¨ by the ancient inhabitants of this region. From the center of Malacatos valley rises a mountain which contains a virgin native wood of “Faique”, representative tree of this area. This wood is refuge of a large variety of local birds who nest here. Is it possible that their choice of habitat is influenced by the amazing views of the valley and the magnificent surrounding mountains where each sunset is a new life experience?

The valley of Malacatos, next to the Vilcabamba valley, is situated at 5.250 feet / 1.590 m above sea level only 25 minutes by car from the small, gentle city of Loja, in the Southeast of Ecuador. Blessed with year-round spring weather, the valley has a remarkable variety of fruits and flowers. 
                                                                                                                     

  

  

                          

In keeping with our concern for the preservation of our planet, we decided to acquire this
mountain to put forward an ecological "habitat", maintaining the forest as a natural park.
We are supported in this project by the peaceful inhabitants who have become receptive to our ideas.

    

2- Our Project:
 1. This project offered solely by "propertiesinecuador.com" (Propvil ), is headed by a European architect, town designer and  organic agriculture devotee, who seeks to reconcile the artificial and the natural, two aspects that are continually confronting each other in the modern world. He is joined in this effort by a team of skilled South Americans, Europeans and North American professionals.
2. We have saved a forest from deforestation and turned it into a natural reserve with hiking trails that invite visitors to learn about and respect the ecosystem.
3. Our social goal follows from this in that we want to include in this project people from different nationalities and cultures, without any possible social or financial discrimination. As an analogy, we might think of the project as a “Socio-economic Permaculture”.
 4. It is important to understand our project as an open community, concerned about nature and, particularly, construction designs using material and methods that respect the ecosystem. This is not an enclosed, isolated community that will offend our neighbors. Our idea is to make sure that the needs of our clients are in tune with the simple spirit of the place.  
5. The total  area covers 148 acres (60 hectares). The native forest being kept as a natural park (shown in dark green) covers approximately 89 acres (36 hectares) and will remain intact, leaving the lower fields (shown in light green) with close to 59 acres (24 hectares) of undulating land designated as lots for homes or gardens. Participants in this project will have the legal right of permanent and free use of this natural park which will be for ever protected.

 

6. Our access roads (shown in reddish brown) have been named after local birds,  "Via Piculay" in the middle and "Via Suxos" to the south. The park is designed with a main entrance to the forest (shown in purple), hiking trails in the woods and topographically divided lots designated by numbers.

7. The land is supplied with a water canal and piped water to which each user is able to connect. Electricity has been installed at the upper road (Via Piculay), and and will have to be extended from this point to the lots by each user (... of course you are invited as well to install other alternative sources of energy)

8. Pisco Huasi is located 1, 86 miles (3 kms) from the Malacatos – Loja asphalt road and 5 minutes from the town of Malacatos where there is a market each Sunday with a variety of organic products. The town also has hardware stores, pharmacies and other shops. This promising town is next to the valley of Vilcabamba, famous for the large number of foreigners who have already settled there.

9. Lots and Prices:
           

10. Propvil, with our notaries and lawyers, can assist you in all matters relating to the purchase of your land, as well as obtaining visas. Our architects, building constructors and designers will help you in the construction of your ideal natural home…and, of course, with everything related to your ecological interests, which is THE indispensable requirement to qualify in our open community. To this goal our title documents contain certain conditions: architecture adapted to the environment with natural designs, green fences, alternative sources of energy, underground piped water and electricity, organic gardening, recycling treatment of biodegradable waste  and any other ideas that could contribute to the community and the spirit of the place.
 

For more detailed information:
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Open Ecological Community
 ( a safe integrated model )

 Versus

 Closed Gated Communities
 ( insecure foreign model )

Many people are looking for a different and alternative lifestyle from the one offered by the standards of current Western society. In the developed countries, such as the US and most European nations, projects known as “Gated Communities” or some similar name have been developed to deal with an external society full of problems associated with the notion and practicalities of sharing. The seclusion of such communities from the outside world may be based on the pursuit of altruistic ideals, as so-called "Intentional Communities” for example. This seclusion may also, however, be sought by speculative refugees clinging to their attachments and motivated by a sense of need for security and protection based on materialism and fear, rather than any altruistic ideals. Western countries are able to tolerate these alternative communities, the most apparently idealistic of which can sometimes eventually turn into a threat to the system itself, through reliance on their strong, well organized police structures capable of containing extreme actions.

It is important to appreciate that countries with powerful economies used to be mainly the ones with cold weather, where the historical struggle with nature has accustomed the people to a relentlessly fast pace of life and all its consequences. Now consider what happens when we emigrate to the so-called third world countries where the climate is more generous and where, as a result of the wildness, space, benefits of nature, and above all strong community traditions, policing systems are much weaker and the lifestyle is correspondingly more relaxed and tranquil.

Ecuador is just such a country, but one with a desire of becoming integrated into the global economy. It toys with this idea, but its relative innocence and lack of ambition resulting historically from its contentment with its natural riches, mean that it can do little more than watch as its economy trembles from its failure to understand how to open up to the opportunities.

Within Ecuador, however, there are some indigenous cooperative associations open to the community...and, if they have become more closed in recent times, it is because of the continued influx of foreigners coming with the idea of changing their reality. 

Big cities are badly organized along class lines (lower, middle and upper classes), but still maintains an effective but concealed urban structure based on overall human inter-reaction which is difficult to understand for foreigners coming from developed countries.

Rural areas, however, still have a well organized structure based on the principles of "good neighbors and kindness", land owners are always ready to help their neighbors treating each other with respect and generosity in recognition of the reality of the mutual interdependence.
 

As urban designers, with extensive knowledge of local conditions, traditions, practices, and attitudes, we think that the closed or gated communities  in Ecuador are unsafe nowadays, especially if it shelters a foreign mono-culture finding common ground in discriminatory fear of the social-economic environment that not only uses a foreign language, but also has a Latin American perception of exploitation, aggression and lack of compassion. Such circumstances can easily give rise to fears in the local population, in due course attracting attention of the underprivileged who, in their hopelessness, can take advantage of the weakly organized police system.
OPEN YOUR EYES!

For us, as foreigners , the ideal proposal is for an open community to be integrated into the local culture, as a surer way of promoting a future of harmonious and peaceful co-existence. Neighbors of different nations and cultures can live in peace and safety within a structure based on privately held property, where a public space - in this case, the natural park within Pisco Huasi- is shared and held open to the wider community, so encouraging an exchange
 of languages and ideals. Moreover, an Intentional Community inhabited mostly by foreigners can be accepted
  and even welcomed only if it does not provoke envy, and as long as it integrates into the local community
 in a truly socio-ecological cooperation.