https://doi.org/10.37955/cs.v5i4.209

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eISSN: 2600-5743

Vernacular architecture as a

resource for tourism

La arquitectura vernácula como recurso para el

turismo

Jhohana Larrea Silva

D. student in Tourism at the Universitat de les Illes Balears, Professor Universidad Nacional de Loja,

Loja-Ecuador. jhohana.larrea@unl.edu.ec, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3472-363X.

Jefferson Sanchez Ruiz

D. student in Tourism at the University of the Balearic Islands, Master in Tourism Management

Innovation, Master in Territorial Planning and Environmental Management, Loja-Ecuador,

j.sanchez@uib.cat, jefferir1@gmail.com, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1946-9795,

Joselin Ortega Ortega

Engineer in Tourism Administration, Graduate of the National University of Loja. Loja-Ecuador,

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3895-3814, joselin.ortega@unl.edu.ec

Maruxi Loarte Tene

D. student in Tourism at the Universitat de les Illes Balears, Teacher at the Universidad Nacional de

Loja, Loja-Ecuador, mloarte@unl.edu.ec, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1033-8115

Rubén Román Aguirre

D. student at the Universidad Simón Bolívar, Professor of Tourism at the Universidad Nacional de

Loja, Loja-Ecuador. rubenroman@hotmail.es , https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6736-2231

María Luisa Díaz López

Master in Environmental Administration, Professor at the National University of Loja, Loja-Ecuador,

luisa.diaz@unl.edu.ec, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6129-8910

Abstract

From a critical point of view, tourism activity in the parishes of

Catacocha, Casanga and Yamana is limited only to natural attractions

and cultural manifestations, leaving aside the vernacular architecture

of the heritage houses as a possible tourism resource. In this context,

the research aims to identify vernacular architecture as a resource for

tourism. The methodology used was based on criteria of selection,

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purification, screening and properties of the houses, these criteria with

qualitative and quantitative approaches; in addition the survey was

used to determine the effective demand for tourism development. The

results of the research showed that the owners are willing to venture

into tourism-related activities based on the use of vernacular

architecture. It is concluded that the research is strategic for the local

authorities to take initiatives in the promotion and dissemination of

this heritage, which is extensive in the territory, to generate that the

owners empower themselves of the great architectural wealth they

possess and venture into tourism.

Resumen

Desde una mirada crítica la actividad turística en las parroquias de

Catacocha, Casanga y Yamana se ve limitada solo a los atractivos

naturales y manifestaciones culturales, dejando de lado la arquitectura

vernácula de las casas patrimoniales como posible recurso turístico.

En este contexto la investigación tiene como objetivo identificar la

arquitectura vernácula como recurso para el turismo. La metodología

utilizada se basó en criterios de selección, depuración, tamización y

propiedades de las viviendas, estos criterios con enfoques cualitativos

y cuantitativos; además se utilizó la encuesta para determinar la

demanda efectiva para el desarrollo del turismo. Los resultados de la

investigación demostraron que los propietarios están dispuestos a

incursionar en actividades relacionadas al turismo a partir de la

utilización de la arquitectura vernácula. Se concluye que la

investigación es estratégica para que las autoridades locales tomen las

iniciativas en la promoción y difusión de este patrimonio que es

extenso en el territorio, generar que los propietarios se empoderen de

la gran riqueza arquitectónica que poseen e incursionen en el turismo.

wealth they possess and venture into tourism.

Palabras clave/ Keywords

Traditional architecture, vernacular architecture¸ cultural tourism,

cultural identity

Arquitectura tradicional, arquitectura vernácula¸ turismo cultural,

identidad cultural

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Introduction

Vernacular architecture is considered an important manifestation of

culture that is born from the result of the natural environment where

human beings inhabit. To expand on this idea of the natural

environment Navarrete et al. (2018, p.2) explains that "architecture is

rational and the product of social and cultural connections that have

led to the construction of building customs and traditions".

In Latin America, the challenge of preserving heritage housing is

increasing in the face of weak economies, the size of built parks, real

estate pressures, unenforced or even non-existent heritage

regulations, discontinuities in conservation practices and socio-

environmental problems, among others. The challenge merits

renewed reflections involving progressive preservation actions

through dynamic relationships between state entities and/or

interested non-governmental entities, together with the users of the

properties (Marina & Woolfson, 2016). While it is true that heritage

houses as architecture can also be considered as a tourist attraction as

pointed out by (Zamudio, 2013) "the architecture of heritage houses

understood as a tourist attraction is that which tourists wish to visit

for its historical importance, beauty, originality", which in turn

contributes to the preservation of the identity of each community,

contributing at the same time to the development of cultural tourism

in the area. In this context, the architecture that motivates tourists to

visit the buildings is vernacular architecture, which are construction

techniques, designs and materials typical of a locality, giving it a high

cultural value.

It is worth mentioning that the essence of the term vernacular refers

to the definition of the three elements that make up a prototype: the

occupation system of the plot, the construction system and the type of

building, and, finally, the facade as an urban contribution. All the

architectures produced until the 18th century from this point of view

are vernacular, both public civil architecture and religious

architecture, as well as private civil architecture for residential or

mixed use (Navarro et al. 2018).

Ecuador is a multicultural and diverse country because of its cultures,

traditions, ways of life, ancestral heritage reflected in colonial and

modern architectural expressions, which are present in almost all the

Ecuadorian territory, which contribute to the conservation of the

identity of each of the 18 indigenous nationalities and the 14 peoples

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that make up the broad network of cultural ethnicities. At present

these expressions have gradually shown a social and cultural change,

which has caused an insensitive urban transformation of demolishing

or making changes in the structures of the buildings with traditional

architecture for new urbanistic currents.

The Canton Paltas is one of the oldest cantons of the Province of Loja,

Chaos (2015) in the (GADC Paltas, 2015, p. 3), where the urban parish

Catacocha still preserves the traditional architecture of the heritage

houses which contributed for the cantonal head Catacocha to be

declared on May 25, 1994 as Cultural Heritage of the Nation, but many

of them are forgotten and neglected, among the factors that cause the

constant loss of these buildings is the industrialization that cause the

displacement of the rural community, trades are lost, materials are

transformed and traditional construction techniques disappear.

Another factor is the lack of knowledge of vernacular architecture and

the term cultural tourism, the lack of appreciation of these buildings

by the locality and the importance they have in preserving the identity

of a given territory. Perhaps the desire to move away from a humble

past and the attractions of new lifestyles have motivated a part of the

population to reject traditional housing and construction techniques,

which they consider obsolete incapable of reflecting the modern

standards intended by the new society (Diez, Martí, & Suárez, 2016,

p.34).

For Núñez (2012) this context was important to develop an inventory

of the vernacular architecture of the area adjacent to the research

project "Sustainable Development of the Binational Technical

Training Center Zapotepamba of the National University of Loja

through integrated landscape management". The research questions

that were determined were to develop a general inventory of the

heritage houses of the Catacocha, Casanga and Yamana communities

that are adjacent to the territory of the research project, so that by

knowing this inventory, tourism strategies can be developed so that

the owners can enter the tourism activity. In addition, the profile of the

tourist that will demand the strategies to be implemented in the

territory and give value to this constructive system that is present in

the territory was determined.

Based on the objective of knowing the vernacular architecture for the

development of tourism was important, because a large part of the

owners of the heritage houses with vernacular architecture are aware

that the misuse of the facilities of the houses have not allowed them to

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have extra income, therefore, it is concluded that the results of the

research will serve for the authorities to take initiatives to encourage

the owners to venture into tourism as well as to make the appropriate

dissemination to obtain a tourist flow of vernacular architecture.

Materials and Methods

As explained in Sanchez et al, the study focuses on a research project

of professionals belonging to the National University of Loja and

external researchers from different careers, with the theme:

Sustainable Development of the Binational Technical Training Center

Zapotepamba of the National University of Loja through integrated

landscape management. This research aims to contribute to the

sustainable development of the Binational Technical Training Center

Zapotepamba through the integrated management of landscapes

(2021, p. 5).

In this context, the present investigation has the purpose of diagnosing

the vernacular architecture of the parishes Catacocha, Casanga,

Yamana, with the objective of identifying the architecture as a tourist

resource.

Through the collaboration of the National Institute of Cultural

Heritage of Ecuador (INPC) and the department of "planning and

strategic development" of the cantonal GAD Paltas, the baseline of the

vernacular architecture of the parishes Catacocha, Casanga and

Yamana was obtained. In addition, from the review of books, papers

and research works, the information was analyzed analytically and

synthetically for the research work.

After obtaining the list of heritage houses, it was found that there is a

large number of registered properties, so criteria were established for

their selection:

Purification and selection criteria: during this selection process, the

heritage houses located in the peripheral zone of each area

corresponding to the parishes of Catacocha, Yamana and Casanga

were eliminated. Among the reasons considered were: low traffic

levels, distance to complementary tourism services such as ATMs,

transportation cooperatives, supermarkets, emergency services, police

units, etc. Therefore, the downtown area was the most appropriate,

since in addition to having a higher demand circulation, it has the

facilities for access to complementary services, nearby tourist

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attractions, access roads in good condition, cleanliness and harmony

in the streets.

Screening criterion: criterion that allowed to know in a general way the

predisposition of the owners to support the research, the situation of

existence of the houses, and the state of conservation of the same.

Criteria for housing properties: Finally, according to the

aforementioned criteria, a list of heritage houses in each area

corresponding to the parishes of Catacocha, Yamana and Casanga was

obtained, which through the field visit were found to comply with the

following parameters: state of conservation, formal typology, original

condition, historical relevance.

During the field work, the data collection forms were applied, which

were adapted according to the tourist attraction inventory forms of the

Ministry of Tourism (MINTUR) and the real estate inventory forms of

the Ecuadorian Heritage Institute (INPC). These cards adapted based

on the two methodologies were validated by professionals with

knowledge in cultural heritage and tourism.

On the other hand, an interview was conducted with each of the

owners of the selected vernacular houses in each parish, in order to

find out about their interest in entering into possible business ventures

for the development of tourism.

Finally, in order to know the interest of the effective demand, the

sample of tourist arrivals to the canton of Paltas was taken according

to the Geovit database of the Ministry of Tourism, for which based on

the 2017 and 2018 data, they were projected to 2021. In order to survey

a large part of the demand, the entries of the cantons of Loja,

Catamayo, Macará and Celica were taken as a reference, for which they

were projected to 2021 based on information from the INEC 2010

Census. The EAPs of each canton were calculated since they are the

closest to the area where the project is located.

Next, the surveys were determined for each population, as shown in

Table 1.

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Table 1 Surveys by population

Surrounding

Towns

ADP 2021

Number of

surveys

Tourists (Geovit)

10.474

Loja

117.737

180

Catamayo

19.317

Macará

7.426

Celica

5.520

TOTAL

160.474

245

Source: INEC (2010).

To calculate the sample size, the finite population formula was used

with a margin of error of 0.06 and a confidence level of 94% equivalent

to 1,898 considering the difficult current conditions due to the Covid

pandemic, which also made it difficult to travel easily to the different

sites in person, so it was decided to apply online:

Where:

N = population size

Z = confidence level (1.898) 94%.

P = probability of success, or expected proportion (0.50)

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Q = probability of failure (0.50)

D = precision (Maximum admissible error in terms of proportion).

(0.06)

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Results

According to the official record of the inventory cards, it was found

that in the urban parish of Catacocha there are about 117 houses

registered, 39 in the rural parish of Yamana, however, in the parish of

Casanga there is still no inventory record, so after the visit to the parish

council it was found that there is indeed no record of the traditional

houses of the site.

Officially they are not registered by any entity, so we requested the

support of the parish GAD of Casanga in charge of Mr. Fabián

Campoverde, president of the parish board, which determined the

necessary information about this type of houses with vernacular

architecture. Fabian Campoverde, president of the board, which

determined the necessary information about this type of housing with

vernacular architecture, for example that they are mostly concentrated

in the various rural neighborhoods of the parish Casanga, also

reported that most of these houses have been remodeled and

overthrown to build current models, Despite this, it was possible to

identify and determine the location of some traditional houses with

vernacular characteristics closer to the central area of the site, being

these the oldest and best known, obtaining a provisional list of them,

to then proceed with the selection under the following criteria: criteria

of depuration and selection, criteria of sieving and criteria of

properties of the house.

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Purification and selection criteria:

Based on the delimitation of the heritage houses and considering the

first selection criterion called "purification and selection of heritage

houses" which consisted of selecting the sections of streets closest to

the central area of each site considering that they are close to

complementary tourist services, easy access, cleanliness and harmony

in their streets, as opposed to the peripheral area that does not fully

meet these characteristics determined in the first selection criterion;

Therefore, in the urban parish of Catacocha, 6 sections of streets

corresponding to 55 heritage houses were identified, which are shown

in the following map:

Figure 1 Selected street sections of Catacocha

Similarly, in the Yamana rural parish, when applying the first

criterion, we obtained the houses located in the central area

corresponding to the busiest streets, such as 14 de febrero and 20 de

julio, corresponding to a single central section, leaving a total of 24

houses in the first instance:

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Figure 2 Selected Yamana street sections.

In the Casanga parish, according to the first criterion "purification and

selection" and through the field visit and recognition of the houses

with traditional vernacular characteristics, 8 architectural houses were

selected, located in the central area of the parish, which are shown in

the following map.

Figure 3 Selected street sections in Casanga

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Screening criteria:

For the second classification criterion called "screening of heritage

houses" in the parishes of Catacocha, Yamana and Casanga, a field visit

and survey of the houses was carried out to obtain a more detailed

classification, confirming their existence, the willingness of the owners

to support the research, and their general state of conservation, with

the following results

C. Homeownership criteria:

Table 2 Summary description of selected heritage homes

INVENTORY OF HERITAGE

HOUSES

House/owner

Category:

Cultural

attraction

Type:

Architecture

Subtype:

Vernacular

Photographic reference

Location

Coordinates:

Features

House of Mr. José

Luis Herrera y hnos.

Province:

Loja

Canton:

Paltas

Location:

Catacocha

Parish

Latitude:

-4.048388

Length:

79.649704

Housing in good

condition, 2

floors located in

an intermediate

lot, construction

materials of the

area as adobe,

terracotta roof,

mixed floor

(cement, tile,

wood), cement

stairs, wooden

doors, several

balconies.

Ground floor

destined for

commercial use,

second floor

housing. It has

all the basic

services.

Current use:

residential and

commercial

Potential tourism

use according to

owner: food and

beverage

establishment

(Bar)

Home of Mrs. Sthela

Ortiz and Bros.

Province:

Loja

Canton:

Paltas

Location:

Catacocha

Parish

Latitude:

-4.048792

Length:

- 79.650590

Housing in good

condition of 2

floors, located on

a corner lot,

building

materials of the

area as adobe,

clay tile, mixed

floors, wooden

doors, several

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balconies, second

floor for

commercial use,

second floor

housing. It has

all the basic

services. There

are no tourist

activities in the

house. It is one

of the oldest

houses on the

site, dating from

the mid-

twentieth

century.

Current use:

residential and

commercial

Potential tourism

use according to

owner: food and

beverage

establishment

(Restaurant)

House of Mrs. Cisne

Cuenca

Province:

Loja

Canton:

Paltas

Location:

Catacocha

Parish

Latitude:

-4.048139

Length:

-79.650139

Housing located

in an

intermediate lot,

regular state, of a

single plot,

constructive

materials like tile

of baked mud,

adobe covered

with cement by

sections, mixed

floors of board

and cement,

wooden stairs,

small

deteriorated

sections, relevant

for being the

house where the

first mayor of

Paltas lived. It

has all the basic

services. There

are no tourist

activities on the

site.

Current use:

housing

Potential tourism

use according to

owner:

Complementary

tourism services

(handicrafts

store)

Mrs. Carmita

Minga's house

Province:

Loja

Canton:

Paltas

Latitude:

-4.048139

Length:

-79.650139

Housing in

excellent

condition,

located on an

intermediate lot,

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Location:

Catacocha

Parish

3 floors, with

small balconies,

traditional

building

materials such as

adobe, glass and

wood windows,

mixed board and

cement floors,

wooden stairs,

terracotta roof,

small activities

have been

carried out to

preserve its

original state,

has all the basic

services, second

floor for

commercial use,

top two floors for

housing.

Current use:

housing and

commercial.

Potential tourism

use according to

owner: Not

interested in any

activity related to

tourism.

House of Mr. Santos

Guamán

Province:

Loja

Canton:

Paltas

Location:

Catacocha

Parish

Latitude:

-4.051056

Length:

-79.650061

House in good

condition,

located on an

intermediate lot,

has 2 floors (2

families),

consisting of a

large portal, a

large balcony,

traditional

building

materials such as

adobe, mixed

board and

cement floor,

wooden doors. It

has all the basic

services, there

are no tourist

activities on the

site, formerly

worked the

telegraph and

municipal police

station in its

facilities.

Current use:

housing

Potential tourism

use according to

owner: food and

beverage

establishment

(cafeteria)

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Mrs. Piedad

Salcedo's Home

Province:

Loja

Canton:

Paltas

Location:

Catacocha

Parish

Latitude:

-4.04963

Length:

-79.650367

Housing

excellent

condition, L-

shaped, located

in an

intermediate lot,

traditional

architectural

features such as

adobe, clay tile

roof, mixed floor

board and tile,

windows have

been replaced by

glass, wooden

doors. It has all

the basic

services, it was

formerly a

hacienda, no

tourist activities

are carried out in

the house.

Current use:

housing

Potential tourism

use according to

the owner: He is

not interested in

any activity

related to

tourism.

Home of Mr. José

Tenazaca Sánchez

Province:

Loja

Canton:

Paltas

Location:

Catacocha

Parish

Latitude:

-4.049938

Length:

-79.649695

House of 2

plants, excellent

state of

conservation

located in an

intermediate lot

in one of the

main streets of

Catacocha,

constructive

materials typical

of the zone like

adobe covered

with cement by

sections, mixed

roof of tile and

zinc, mixed

cement and

board floor,

wood and metal

doors, wood and

cement stairs.

Presence of small

colorful

balconies. It has

all the basic

services, there

are no tourist

activities on the

site. On the

second floor

there is a shop

selling

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automotive parts,

second floor is a

house with

several empty

rooms.

Current use:

residential and

commercial

Potential tourism

use according to

owner: Tourist

accommodation

(lodging)

House of Mr. Ovidio

Sánchez

Province:

Loja

Canton:

Paltas

Location:

Catacocha

Parish

Latitude:

-4.050000

Length:

-79.648983

Housing 3 floors,

good condition,

located on an

intermediate lot,

traditional

building

materials such as

adobe, wood

floors, wooden

doors, narrow

wooden stairs,

clay tile roof,

large colorful

balconies in both

front and rear. It

has several

spaces, some

occupied on the

second floor for

commercial

premises, second

floor for housing,

and some empty

rooms for

warehouses. It

has all the basic

services, no

tourist activities

are carried out in

the house.

Current use:

residential and

commercial

Potential tourism

use according to

owner:

Complementary

tourism service

(craft store) or

food and

beverage

establishment

(restaurant).

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Mrs. Mercy

Encalada's house

Province:

Loja

Canton:

Paltas

Location:

Catacocha

Parish

Latitude:

-4.049771

Length:

-79.649294

House of 2

floors, in good

condition,

located in the

central area of

Catacocha,

traditional

building

materials, such

as adobe

throughout its

structure, clay

tile roof, wooden

doors, wooden

stairs. It

preserves its

original formal

typology. Second

floor premises

for commercial

use, second floor

for housing. It

has all the basic

services. There is

no evidence of

tourist activities

in the house.

Current use:

residential and

commercial

Potential tourism

use according to

owner: Tourist

accommodation

(lodging)

Home of Mr.

Ramiro Vargas

Province:

Loja

Canton:

Paltas

Location:

Casanga

Parish

Latitude:

-4.013947

Length:

-79.763881

Housing with

good state of

preservation,

located on a

corner lot,

maintains its

original formal

typology with

small

interventions in

some sections of

the same,

construction

materials of the

area, adobe

structure,

cement and

board floors,

wooden stairs,

clay tile roof,

wooden doors

and windows,

wide doorways,

large balconies.

It used to be a

school. Second

floor for

commercial use,

second floor for

housing, several

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tenants, owner

does not reside

on the site. A

small dining

room has been

installed, but for

pandemic

reasons it was

closed. It has all

the basic

services.

Current use:

residential and

commercial

Potential tourism

use according to

owner: Food and

beverage

establishment

(restaurant)

House of Mr.

Segundo

Campoverde

Province:

Loja

Canton:

Paltas

Location:

Casanga

Parish

Latitude:

-4.014626

Length:

- 79.763844

House with a

regular state of

conservation, of

two half waters,

it maintains

traditional

vernacular

characteristics,

adobe walls,

earth and cement

floors, wooden

doors and

windows, roof of

baked clay tile,

small portal.

Small sections in

a state of

deterioration, the

house continues

to be maintained

for its

conservation.

Current use:

housing

Potential tourism

use according to

the owner: He is

not interested in

any activity

related to

tourism.

Home of Mr. David

Balcázar

Province:

Loja

Canton:

Paltas

Location:

Casanga

Parish

Latitude:

-4.013719

Length:

-79.763793

Housing with

good state of

conservation,

located in an

intermediate, in

front of the

central park of

the parish, it

presents original

traditional

characteristics,

although with

small

modifications.

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Centro Sur Vol. 5 No. 4 - October - December

Structure of

adobe, roof of

duratecho, floors

of cement and

board, cement

stairs, wooden

doors, metal

balconies. Basic

services are

available. There

are no tourist

activities at the

site.

Current use:

housing

Potential tourism

use according to

the owner: He is

not interested in

any activity

related to

tourism.

House of Mr.

Custodio Rodriguez

Province:

Loja

Canton:

Paltas

Location:

Casanga

Parish

Latitude:

-4.013940

Length:

-79.764120

House with

original

vernacular

characteristics,

good state of

preservation,

located in an

intermediate lot,

in front of the

central park.

Constructive

materials of the

area, adobe

structure, clay

tile roof, wooden

doors, floors of

mixed board,

cement, brick.

Composed of

small portal, it

has empty

rooms. Basic

services such as

electricity, water,

and sewage are

available. There

are no tourist

activities on the

site.

Current use:

housing

Potential tourism

use according to

the owner: food

and beverage

establishment

(restaurant).

Home of Mr. José

Miguel Celi

Province:

Loja

Canton:

Paltas

Location:

Latitude:

-3.997733

Length:

-79.698783

The house is in

fair condition,

located on an

intermediate lot

on the main

avenue of the

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Yamana

Parish

parish, with a

small doorway,

built with

traditional

materials such as

adobe, terracotta

roof, wooden

doors, brick and

earthen floors.

Some sections of

the house are

deteriorated. It

has basic

services. No

tourist activities

have been or are

being carried out

in the house.

Owned by several

heirs.

Current use:

housing

Potential tourism

use according to

owner: food and

beverage

establishment

(restaurant)

Home of Mrs. Rosa

Ramirez

Province:

Loja

Canton:

Paltas

Location:

Yamana

Parish

Latitude:

-4.001033

Length:

-79.698183

Half-timbered

house, located on

the main avenue

of the parish,

regular state of

conservation

with some

sections in

deterioration,

construction

materials of the

area such as

adobe, clay tiles,

earthen floors

with some

sections of brick,

wooden doors,

stone wall,

barbed wire

enclosure. Basic

services are

available; there

are no tourist

activities on the

site.

Current use:

housing

Potential tourism

use according to

owner: Food and

beverage

establishment

(cafeteria).

Mrs. Nuvia

Lalangui's house.

Province:

Loja

Canton:

Paltas

Latitude:

-3.997756

Length:

-79.698040

Half-timbered

house, excellent

state of

preservation,

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Centro Sur Vol. 5 No. 4 - October - December

Location:

Yamana

Parish

located in an

intermediate lot,

with small portal,

original formal

typology,

although with

small

interventions,

traditional

building

materials such as

adobe, terracotta

roof, mixed

cement and tile

floor, wooden

doors, glass

windows. It has

basic services. It

is currently the

home of Mrs.

Nuvia Lalangui,

president of the

Yamana parish

council. No

tourism activities

have been

carried out at the

site.

Current use:

housing

Potential tourism

use according to

owner: Food and

beverage

establishment

(dining room),

tourist

accommodation

(guest house).

House of Mrs.

Vertila Castillo.

Province:

Loja

Canton:

Paltas

Location:

Yamana

Parish

Latitude:

-3.998683

Length:

- 79.698081

House in good

condition,

located on a

corner lot, on

one floor, built

with local

materials such as

adobe, although

coated with

cement in

sections,

terracotta roof,

cement floor,

wooden doors

and windows.

Some sections

are in a state of

disrepair; basic

services are

available. No

tourism activities

have been

carried out at the

site.

Current use:

housing

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Centro Sur Vol. 5 No. 4 - October - December

Potential tourism

use according to

the owner: he is

not interested in

any activity

related to

tourism.

Home of Mr. Victor

Hugo Granillo

Province:

Loja

Canton:

Paltas

Location:

Yamana

Parish

Latitude:

-3.997700

Length:

-79.698150

Housing with

good state of

conservation,

although with

small sections in

deterioration,

located in an

intermediate lot,

of a single plant,

original formal

typology,

although with

small

interventions as

in doors and

floor. It has an

adobe structure,

terracotta roof,

cement and dirt

floors in some

sections. It has

basic services, no

tourist activities

are carried out in

the house. There

is a small store.

Current use:

residential and

commercial

Potential tourism

use according to

owner: Food and

beverage

establishment

(cafeteria).

Home of Mrs. Maria

Ramirez

Province:

Loja

Canton:

Paltas

Location:

Yamana

Parish

Latitude:

-3.998133

Length:

- 79.698033

House in good

state of

preservation,

located in an

intermediate lot,

maintains its

originality,

although with

minimal

interventions,

building

materials of the

area adobe,

terracotta tile,

cement and earth

floors in sections,

wooden doors.

Basic services are

available. No

activities of

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Centro Sur Vol. 5 No. 4 - October - December

tourist interest

have been or are

being carried out

in the house.

Current use:

housing

Potential tourism

use according to

the owner: He is

not interested in

any activity

related to

tourism.

House of Mr.

Porfilio Quevedo

Province:

Loja

Canton:

Paltas

Location:

Yamana

Parish

Latitude:

-3.998591

Length:

-79.697969

House in good

state of

preservation,

located on an

intermediate lot,

presence of

portal, one floor,

traditional

construction

system with local

materials such as

adobe, terracotta

tile roof, wooden

doors, mixed

earth and tile

floor, glass

windows. Small

sections have

been modified to

maintain its good

condition. It has

basic services. A

small store has

been installed;

there are no

tourist activities

in the house.

Current use:

residential and

commercial

Potential tourism

use according to

owner: Food and

beverage

establishment

(restaurant).

Prepared by: authors based on field work.

Regarding the tourist use that the owners of the heritage houses would

like to offer, 45% say they would like to install a restaurant service,

while 36% prefer cafeterias offering typical local food, 14% consider

that the spaces could be adapted to offer lodging services, and 5% say

it would be interesting to place a handicrafts shop in their house.

However, 80% of those interviewed do not have the economic

resources to strengthen their property, while 20% say that they do

have the necessary resources to carry out this type of project.

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Market segmentation of effective demand

Through the results of the surveys, three market segments were

identified, determined by the age of the visitors, where common

interests, tourism preferences and similar characteristics of each

segment are detailed for Loja, Catamayo, Celica and Macará, in order

to subsequently identify a tourist profile for the development of

cultural tourism in the CBFTZ's area of influence.

Segment 1: visitors from 18 to 30 years old:

In this segment, there are preferences for natural tourism, although

there are also cultural and gastronomic tourism activities, such as

visits to museums, monuments, churches and sites of cultural interest,

as well as tasting the typical local cuisine. Among the tourism services

in heritage houses that they would like to make use of are mainly

lodging and handicraft stores.

They prefer to visit with family and friends for a short stay of 1 to 2

days, especially on holidays and long weekends. In addition, they

would like to do other tourist activities related to tourist routes and

visits to natural waterfalls.

Visitors prefer to travel by public transportation, although they also

point to their own vehicle as another option, and this segment would

be willing to pay an average of $0.50 to $13 for tourist services in

heritage homes.

Among the promotional media through which they would like to be

informed about tourism products, social networks stand out, and they

also point to tour operators or travel agencies as the most appropriate

intermediary for the contracting of tourism services.

This segment of tourists resides in Loja, Catamayo, Macará and Celica,

with those from the city of Loja being the largest group, mostly women

with an academic level of students and professionals, and with

incomes ranging from $0 to $200, most of the visitors are single.

Segment 2: visitors from 31 to 42 years old:

Segment of tourists who enjoy natural and cultural tourism when

visiting a site, with natural environments being the most preferred,

followed by activities such as visiting museums, monuments,

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Centro Sur Vol. 5 No. 4 - October - December

churches, sites of cultural interest, gastronomy and architecture of

urban centers.

The main tourist services in heritage houses that they would use are

lodging and restaurants, which they would preferably visit

accompanied by their families. The time to visit would be during

vacations and cantonal festivities, with a short stay of 1 to 2 days, using

their own vehicle for transportation to the destination.

The average expenditure they would use in tourist services ranges from

$0.50 to $18, making the contract through web pages, as for the

promotional means by which they would like to be informed about the

services are in first place social networks followed by web pages.

Among the tourist activities they would like to do are visiting waterfalls

and tasting the local gastronomy.

Tourists in this segment are mostly male, married, professional and

self-employed, with incomes ranging from $401 to $600.

Segment 3: visitors 43 to 55 and up:

Finally, in this last segment of tourists, it was found that they prefer to

do natural and cultural tourism, being natural sites, gastronomy,

monuments and places of interest what they most like to see when they

go sightseeing.

Tourists would like to receive lodging services and handicraft stores in

heritage houses, visiting them during vacations and long weekends,

mainly accompanied by their families and partners, for a short stay of

1 to 2 days.

To make the visit they would use their own vehicle, also the

expenditure for tourist services varies between $2 to $13 dollars, they

like to be informed in promotional media such as social networks and

websites. On the other hand, the most appropriate intermediary for

the contract of these services according to this segment would be tour

operators and travel agencies.

The preferred tourist activities for this segment of visitors are visits to

waterfalls and gastronomic tasting, although there are also visits to

Shiriculapo and the local tourist routes.

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Centro Sur Vol. 5 No. 4 - October - December

This segment is mostly female, married, professional and with

incomes ranging from $401 to $600.

Conclusions

Through the diagnosis of the vernacular architecture of the heritage

houses, it became evident that the inventory record currently

registered is outdated since many of the houses no longer exist or have

been remodeled in their entirety, losing their formal typology and

originality. In addition to losing the built system, the loss of the

cultural identity of the new generations can be evidenced because

some of the construction systems have been inherited and have been

subject to change by their new owners.

It is evident that local authorities in the area of tourism are lacking in

administration and planning, due to the lack of policies that regulate

the conservation of existing heritage houses. The implementation of

tourism services in heritage houses such as restoration, lodging, and

handicraft stores will be the strategies that will help the territory to

take the initiative to strengthen the built system of the heritage houses

with vernacular characteristics. In addition, it was observed that the

cultural planning has led to the devaluation of the cultural identity in

the territory of Cantón Paltas.

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