Architecture, tradition and tourism. Vernacular Tisaleo architecture in the development of a cultural landscape-based tourism approach

Abstract

This study of the urban landscape of Tisaleo, in the Inter-Andean region of Ecuador, is aimed at informing the development of eco-tourism activities revolving around intercultural mix, natural resources and typical landscapes in the area. In spite of the fact that the city’s Land Management and Development Plan (PDOT) considers the survival and conservation of traditional architecture, globalization has led to a growing loss of the idiosyncratic identity of Andean peoples, resulting in the destruction and abandonment of their most relevant architectural representations. The study discusses this construction legacy from the viewpoint of the arrangement of a cultural space, under the principles of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and values the role that a typical architecture heritage can play as a complementary agent in ecotourism development processes.