Component analysis and landscape valuation: Llanganates National Park, Píllaro, Ecuador

Abstract

Ecuador, a privileged Latin American country recognized for its abundant natural resources and its rich cultural heritage, located in the four natural regions: Coast, Sierra, Oriente and the Insular Region. In this sense, according to the Ministry of the Environment, eleven territories met the requirements to achieve the denomination of National Parks; Llanganates was incorporated in 1996. The objective of this work was the landscape analysis by surveying the natural, anthropic and cultural elements of the Llanganates National Park; the applied methodology was based on a multidisciplinary model, through exploratory, descriptive and explanatory research, the qualitative approach linked to the assessment of landscape components. In addition, the intangible resources constituted by rich legends that emerged with the Spanish conquest, such as the capture and murder in Cajamarca of the Inca Atahualpa, transferred to Quito, and later buried according to expert historians and anthropologists, in the Hacienda Malqui Machay, Sigchos, province from Cotopaxi, a place rich in ruins and multiple Inca vestiges. It is also related that Rumiñahui, half brother and general of the Inca, moved the treasures and hid them in Llanganates, which aroused curiosity and expectation. Finally, the results obtained in the survey of the Biophysical, visual and anthropic components in addition to the cultural legacy are important to expose the great landscape values ​​of the study site. In conclusion, the knowledge and enhancement of iconic places opened a broader perception of the mythical Llanganates National Park.