Zuleta: A Hacienda, Cows, and Drones

Last Saturday (8/19/17), I went to Zuleta with Pepe and Mariauxi. Our trip there and back was like a joke just waiting to be told. We came across a chicken who was indeed crossing the road; a piglet on a journey; and a full-grown pig escaping after the rainstorm (or as Mariauxi said, he was making sure he wouldn't be dinner that night!). I don't know what exactly the joke is, so for funsies, you let me know.

In Zuleta, we met with David Brown, Mark Willis, and Chet who were doing an archaeological survey of the 100+ mounds on the hacienda. Mark was using drones to be able to create a 3-D map/model of the site, and Chet was running the magnetometer over the mounds to detect what might be under the grass and soil of the mounds (ex: burials, structures, etc.). David, Mark, and Chet had also worked at Cochasquí. If you look on the lefthand side of the picture, you can see a small light figure that is Chet. The mounds are a lot more impressive in person, but alas, this is the best I could do. Guess I'll just have to write a fancy schmancy DSLR camera into my grant...

Mark showed us how the drone worked and said this particular drone was new in March of this year and cost around $1000, which is actually really cheap for a drone. The batteries, however, cost $100 each, and he has 12! Each battery only lasts for about 20 minutes, and you can’t let it get too low, or you risk crashing the drone. He actually has 2 of these drones, and he brought a much larger drone that looks like an airplane. He said the plane-style drone was more successful at Cochasquí because it does better in the wind. [Pictures: the drone, up close and personal, in the best color; launching the drone; baby drone flying all by itself; control panel using a smartphone. I included a short video of the drone flying at the end of this post.]

 

At Zuleta, Mark flew the drone between 90-120 meters high to capture the entire valley all the way to the road. Depending on time and weather, he planned to go back over the mounds at an altitude of approximately 40 meters. The higher the drone flies, the faster it can go; when it is closer the ground, it must travel slowly to capture good quality video/photos. He was actually having some trouble with images being blurry and didn’t know why – one of the downsides of practically brand new technology. He’s an expert in drones and has been working with them since 2007. 

He humored us and took a “dronie” – a “selfie” taken by a drone!

In the past, the hacienda belonged to Galo Plaza Lasso (former president of Ecuador), and is currently owned and run by his descendants. In the past, the townspeople would have belonged to the hacienda. Now, the town is separate, and is famous for the hand embroidered items done by local women. For example, the woman who embroidered Rafael Correa’s (former president of Ecuador) shirts as well as other women who embroider shirts, tablecloths, and other items live in the town. I, for one, was very excited to learn about the hacienda, hang out with some cows, and geek out over how a drone works (it's a lot more interesting in person). Proof below.

And for my archys or those of you who are really interested in the history of the hacienda and these huge earthen mounds: "From around AD 700, large earthen mounds began to be constructed in different locations throughout the northern highlands, including at Hacienda Zuleta. The ethnic group associated with these cultures have been called ‘the Cara’ by ethno-historians and archaeologists, later becoming ‘Caranqui’, after the town of the same name, situated further north near Ibarra. The people in the greater Zuleta region are still called ‘Caranquis’ today. Along with large occupation mounds, evidence of extensive systems of raised or ridged fields called ‘camellones’ have also been found, an intensive form of horticultural practice which would have supported the year-round production of crops such as maize and potatoes and sustained high regional populations. Excavations within the Zuleta ramp mound site have also found these field systems buried under the modern pasture." (http://zuleta.com/history-of-hacienda-zuleta-in-ecuador/)