Volunteer in Ecuador and visit the Galapagos
Next year, join us to help save and preserve Ecuador’s built heritage.
Ecuador is a land of contrasts, from the Andean foothills to the Amazon to the wonders of the Galapagos Islands. This is why Adventures in Preservation (AiP) has partnered with Ecuador Exchange and Volunteer Programs to help save vernacular stone architecture perfectly designed to deal with the Andean landscape and climate.
Volunteers in our August 2021 program will learn traditional skills as they join conservation efforts that hold the key to economic growth through heritage tourism.
Our volunteers — we call them Jammers — will help preserve historic buildings that are interwoven into the social fabric of La Esperanza.
La Esperanza is a picturesque village in northern Ecuador that sits just below the slopes of Volcán Imbabura. Although this tranquil agricultural town is off the beaten path for most tourists, it has an interesting past. Music greats such as Bob Dylan, members of Pink Floyd and Joan Baez found their way here to enjoy the local magic mushrooms. Today, the village is just as magical with most visitors coming for the amazing views as they climb the volcano.
Residents have requested that their church, the Nuestra Senora de La Esperanza, which is central to community activities, be addressed first to stop ongoing deterioration. Construction of the church began in the early 1800s, but there is no record of the exact date. It was home to several religious orders, becoming increasingly important after the earthquake of 1868 that tragically killed hundreds of people.
By demonstrating the beautiful results of conservation work at the site most important to the community, our goal is to pique interest in saving other vernacular architecture, from picturesque houses to small stone shops. AiP jammers will work with the community to save historic buildings and retain the visual beauty of the region’s unique cultural landscape.
During the first week, you will visit Cochasqui archeological ruins and the famous market in Otavalo. After working with community members in La Esperanza, you have the option of exploring the amazing Galapagos Islands — four days visiting a variety of remarkable sites on the islands and a fifth day exploring Quito.
About Adventures in Preservation (AiP)
Adventures in Preservation (AiP) is a non-profit connecting people and preservation through enriching cultural heritage travel and hands-on education. AiP was founded in 2001 by two women with a great love of historic buildings and a strong desire to travel and understand the world. While perusing the travel section of the Boulder Bookstore, the Volunteer Vacation section suddenly brought everything into focus. Judith Broeker and Jamie Donahoe combined their goal of saving historic buildings with the concept of experiential travel, and created AiP’s hands-on preservation vacations.
Work started on several sites in the U.S., and as word spread, requests for help began to pour in from around the world, underscoring the great potential of using volunteers to restore historic buildings. In supporting community-based preservation initiatives, we discovered that our love of old buildings could translate into environmental and economic sustainability for communities.
AiP is picking up the pace! As our hands-on experiential travel becomes more popular, we have new projects, new partners and initiatives to keep you excited and involved.
