Ruta del Spondylus
The Spondylus (Red Thorny Oyster) Trail
Ecuador’s pre-Colombian past outdates the Incas by thousands of years. On the coast of Ecuador, cultures were thriving as early as 8,000 B.C. Some of these cultures like the Bahia and the Manteño were among the most maritime of all. These were known as the “Phoenicians of the Americas”, sailing on Ecuadorian balsawood vessels all the way north to Mexico and as far south as Chile, trading one of the most important sacred items of all time, “The Red Spondylus Shell”. This shell was also known as “Mullu” in Quechua (the native language in much of the Andes). This shell was one of the most demanded items in pre-Hispanic times, traded to and highly valued by the Ecuadorian Andean and Peruvian Chiefdoms. They have been found in almost all of the most important archaeological discoveries of the west coast of South America, like for example in the tomb of the Lord of Sipán in northern Peru. On October 26, 1998, the presidents of Peru and Ecuador met in Brasilia to sign a peace agreement ending over 50 years of often-armed border dispute. In his speech at Brasilia, Ecuadorian President Jamil Mahuad made the first public reference to Spondylus in the context of the new integration between Ecuador and Peru. Addressing Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, he said "The history of our countries is much closer and tighter than the problems of the last decades: when the Lord of Sipán was found, he had among his ornaments gold, silver, and the Spondylus shell (princeps sp.), which is only found . . . in Ecuador"During the Spanish conquest, Francisco Pizarro in 1532 captured the last Inca “Atahualpa”. His route through Ecuador is unknown to many travelers. Arriving on the coast north of Juananu, he discovered Coaque, where he found the largest bounty of gold in Ecuador. He stayed here from April to September of 1531. From here he and his men documented the Pasao warriors with their shrunken heads (trophies) and mummified bodies at Cabo Pasado. It was the first account of the famous Tsantsas in Ecuador. Pizarro then discovers Bahía de Caráquez and some ancient settlements in the region. Chirije is an ancient seaport discovered archaeologically by Emilio Estrada (one of the forefathers of Ecuadorian Archaeology). In his book “Archaeology of Central Manabí”, he highlights Chirije as one of the most important sites for Ecuador’s central Coast. After his death in 1961, the investigations here came to a halt, but in 1994 as part of an Eco Cultural tourism venture, Chirije was once again investigated and this time by the Smithsonian Institution of Washington, DC., and the professor of Pre-Columbian Art of the Louvre Museum of Paris, head archaeologist of the National Center of Scientific Research of France (CNRS) and specialist for eastern Pacific Equatorial cultures, Dr. Jean Francois Bouchard.
The Spondylus (Red Thorny Oyster) Trail Itinerary BDT- 6W(6 days, 5 Nights)Bahía de Caráquez-ChirijeDay 1· Early morning arrival to Manta (if you fly in from Quito).
· Visit Montecristi- These Villages carry the historical process of the weaving of the “Panama Hat”. These are where the original “Panama Hat” is weaved. The historical error of the naming of this hat is partly due to when President Theodore Roosevelt was taken a photo with this hat on, during the construction of the Panama Canal. The first hats weaved by the natives of this area are called “los Montecristi” and “los Jipijapa”. Many famous kings, actors and celebrities have worn these around the world. Some of these hats take from 3 to 6 months depending on the fineness of the straw; hats like the Montecristi Superfino are worth up to 3000 USD and more in international hat shops.
· Arrival to Bahía de Caráquez. Brunch in CasaGrande.
· Visit Isla Corazón (20 minutes away from Bahia), in the calm of the bay. Truly a model of ecotourism for the coast of Ecuador. This is a protected mangrove forest with Montubio natives working on sustainable tourism and protecting the most important ecosystem for the survival of marine species. You can canoe ride through tunnels of Mangrove forest and reach the largest frigate bird colony on mainland Ecuador (the colony on Isla Corazón is larger than the one that exists on Tower Island in the Galapagos). Lunch with the typical Tonga, a shrimp feast inside green banana leaves. · Return to Bahía de Caráquez, and rest at your oceanfront guesthouse. · Visit the Archaeological Museum of Bahia de Caráquez. Bahia is known for being one of the main sites for the famous “Phoenicians of the Americas”. The local culture that dates back to 500 B.C. was trading one of the most sacred items of ancient past, it was called the “Spondylus” Red Thorny Oyster shells that was worth more than gold, all the way up to Mexico and down to Chile. · Late afternoon, visit the highest point of the peninsula of Bahia de Caraquez; here you will have a panoramic view of “La Cruz”. · Dinner Overnight at CasaGrande Oceanfront Boutique Guesthouse.Day 2 · Breakfast with local cuisine and tropical fruits in CasaGrande. · Travel to Chirije (35 minutes travel by car along the beach), where you will find romantic rustic beachfront cabins amidst an archaeological site. Enjoy the ride by the beach to get to the Archaeological site of Chirije; this site was studied by Dr. Douglas Ubelaker, physical anthropologist of the Smithsonian Institution and Dr. Jean Francois Bouchard pre-Columbian professor of the Louvre Museum of Paris. This was an ancient pre-Columbian port, where the balsawood sailing vessels landed for the Spondylus shell trade and where just walking on the beach can lead to many pieces of pottery eroded from the site by the waves of the Pacific Ocean. Visit the onsite museum and enjoy local cuisine in a secluded and interesting setting. · Surfing lessons optional. Chirije at your request can have the best surf instructors teaching you how to surf on small waves. Any age. · Accommodation in the cabins. · Briefing and archeological tour of Chirije. · Rest in the beach. · Seafood lunch in Chirije. · Optional Go trekking the dry tropical forest, which is a soft and moderate hike to see the awesome Ceiba (kapok) trees and learn about the dormant forest · Enjoy local seafood cuisine for dinner; Overnight in Chirije.
Day 3
· Breakfast.
· Enjoy the serenity of the natural surroundings and explore the dry tropical forest, archaeological site of Chirije or look for archaeological pieces on the beach. Many of the pieces found by travelers go to the onsite museum and many pictures of these are taken.
· Lunch.
· Return to CasaGrande Oceanfront Boutique Guesthouse.
· Dinner in Puerto Amistad. Overnight in CasaGrande.
Day 4
· Breakfast in CasaGrande.
· Boat trip to the site of the legend of the lost city of the “Caras”. The Jesuit priest Father Juan de Velasco, who was Ecuador’s first historian, states that there was a city that was lost by a cataclysm a few kilometers off into the ocean from Bahía de Caráquez. On this trip you will discover from our guides all the information on all the scientific expeditions that have been done to this site. The last one was with National Geographic in May 2009. One of the main discoveries has been that the Santa Martha shoals were part of dry land a few centuries ago.
· At midday travel to ecological shrimp farm (30 minutes). Ecuador was the world’s first shrimp exporter of farmed shrimp. The owner is Flor Maria Dueñas who was the first woman in Latin America to run a shrimp farm operation; she also was the first woman in the World to receive an organic certification for growing shrimp. In actual times, the shrimp farm is the first one in Ecuador to have more than 15,000 mangrove trees planted inside the ponds. Enjoy listening and seeing firsthand the art of the process and all the shrimp you can eat.
· Transfer out to Atamari on one of the most beautiful panoramic points of the coast of Ecuador.
· Dinner.
Day 5
· Breakfast at Atamari.
· Transfer to Puerto Lopez (20 minutes) to embark on your whalewatching expedition.
· “Ecuador is considered to be one of the most amazing destinations of the world to see the Humpback Whales” (Pacific Whale Foundation 2007). The experience of being in one of the main areas for reproduction, will be something to remember. The whales have a beautiful courtship (males breach/jump out of the water), and sometimes you can see many of them in just one expedition.
· Return to Atamari for lunch and a great rest in the afternoon.
· Overnight in Atamari.
Day 6
· Early morning transfer out to Manta Airport for flight back to Quito.
Optional Surfing lessons.
Chirije- Beautiful secluded archaeological site with beachfront bungalows. Investigated by archaeologists and anthropologists like Emilio Estrada, Dr. Douglas Ubelaker of the Smithsonian Institution of Washington D.C. and Jean-Francois Bouchard of the CNRS of France (pre-Colombian art professor of the Museum of Louvre of Paris). It has an onsite museum and 240 hectares of Dry Tropical Forest on the Pacific Ocean, only 15 kilometers south of Bahia de Caráquez on the beach.
Bahía de Caráquez, Ecuador:
Bahia de Caráquez is a small quaint city which boasts an ancient rich cultural history with tourism infrastructure that can satisfy the needs of national and international travelers that look for not too known spectacular getaways. Small hotels, wide avenues and streets lined with palm trees with a promenade that overlooks the Bay and the Pacific Ocean make this a very nice and authentic historical port city to enjoy. Almost 5 Centuries ago, Spanish galleons lined the inner entrance of the bay, now sailboats from sailors around the world reach this area for a pleasant stay.
HistoryThe bay of Bahía de Caráquez was first named by Francisco Pizarro in 1532 as Bahía de Caraque on his last voyage down the coast to finally reach and capture the last Incan ruler named Atahualpa. Bahía is known to be the gateway and birthplace of the Ecuadorian nationality. The first Ecuadorian historian, the Jesuit priest, Juan de Velasco writes that to the region of Bahía de Caráquez, arrived a nation aboard rafts that came from the land where the sun sets. This nation was known as“Caras” and their leader was named “Shyri”, which meant in their language “Lord of All”. They founded their capital here in this area and named it “Cara”. This is supposedly a legend handed down by oral tradition, which was written in the first history book back in 1789, and there are to the moment not known archaeological evidence that this actually happened, but the excavations and modern investigations point this area to have had more than 5000 years of continued occupation. Also the maritime culture named Bahia (500 B.C. to 500 A.D.), and the Manteño Culture (500 A.D. to time of contact-1526-32), were known as the “Phoenicians of the Americas”. They traveled as far south to Chile and as far north towards Mexico, trading a ritually important seashell (Spondylus, the red thorny oyster) for gold, silver and other important trade items. The cultural manifestations with abundant evidence of beautiful pottery are known to have been one of Ecuador’s finest.
- INCLUDES:
· Service with bilingual guide specialized in pre-Columbian and natural history.
· Tours - Heart Island, Panama Hat, Horseback riding, Archaeological Museum of Bahia de Caráquez, Chirije Archaeological site, Lost City of the Caras, Heart Island Bird Colony, bird watching (the colony on Isla Corazón is larger than the one that exists on Tower Island in Galápagos). Whale watching.
· Visit Isla Corazon (Heart Island) in the calm of the Bay. Truly a model of ecotourism for the coast of Ecuador. This a protected mangrove forest with Montubio natives working on sustainable tourism and protecting the most important ecosystem for marine species survival. Exploring with the native guides of the Isla Corazón (Heart Island) canoe ride through tunnels of Mangrove forest. Transport by Pangas (Pangas are small boats with heavily reinforced hulls; usually between 19 and 28 feet in length, capable of speeds in excess of 35 knots with enclosed flotation compartments).
· Entrance to Isla Corazón.
· Travel to Chirije, where you will find romantic rustic beachfront cabins amidst an archaeological site. Enjoy the ride by the beach to get to the Archaeological site of Chirije.
· Trekking the dry tropical forest, which is a soft and moderate hike to see the awesome Ceiba (kapok) trees and learn about the dormant forest.
· Visit ecological shrimp farm in Ecuador. 15,000 Mangroves reforested in the farm.
· Visit Montecristi. These Villages carry the historical process of the weaving of the “Panama Hat”. These are where the original “Panama Hat” is weaved.
Spondylus shell Bahia Culture Amulet shaped like Andean Cock of the Rock
Large Stone Bear climbing tree stump
Found by archaeologists in a multiple burial site. Ceremonial Chirije Cup.
Enjoy the most beautiful beaches, sun and other activities like learning how to surf, or just enjoy romantic rustic cabins with solar energy amidst a large archaeological site.
Contact for more information:
Patricio Tamariz
§ Tamarizp@gmail.com
Carlos Aguirre
§ carlosaguirre.bdt@gmail.com
Santiago Ferreyros
§ santiago.bdt@gmail.com
Phone Numbers
Patricio Tamariz
§ Tamarizp@gmail.com
Carlos Aguirre
§ carlosaguirre.bdt@gmail.com
Santiago Ferreyros
§ santiago.bdt@gmail.com
Phone Numbers
- 01159399171935 if dialing from United States and Canada
- 0059399171935 if dialing from Europe or from Latin America