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Article: A history of hospitality: once the mainstay of a booming agrarian society, these restored estates are again contributing to economic growth in the Andean region known as the avenue of the Volcanoes.
- Article from:
- Américas (Spanish Edition)
- Article date:
- September 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Organization of American States. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Walking through the iron gates at Hacienda CusÃn is like stepping into an impressionist painting. Bursts of sunlight alternate with fast-moving clouds to brighten gardens rampant with bougainvillea, fuchsia, jasmine, and orchids. Colonial antiques and handcrafted wooden furniture fill the museum-like Salón BolÃvar, where Flemish tapestries mix amiably with Otavaleno weavings and paintings from the Quito school of art. Outside the snug cottage a resident llama munches blossoms, while inside, vivid fabrics and a kiva-style fireplace help to banish the chill of an Andean evening.
Over a period of 400 years, CusÃn evolved from a 100,000-acre property of the ...