History of San Jorge Ecolodge & Preinca Trail

Ancient Preinca Trading Trails.  San Jorge Eco tours

3500 B.C. Quito City was founded in the Cotocallao area. A new commerce trail was built crossing the Nono Alto Plateau, which facilitated trade between the Yumbos, Cocaniguas Xachila in the Coastal Interior and the Cotocallao Tribe. There  are  strong evidences  of this  trail  in San Jorge  Ecolodge  in Quito.

500 B.C. The Chaupicruz culture in the Eastern Pichincha foothills begins using the trail as  same  as Cotocollao and  Yumbos  Culture for trading Coastal Interior products like salt, peanuts , yucca  obsidian, cotton, fishes, spondilus  conchs, ceramics , papayas, pineapples, tobacco, potatoes, corn, mellocos,   mashuas, ocas, medicinal plants, gold.

1450 A.D. (approx.) Huayna Capac, the Incan Emperor, began to conquer the Yumbos, using this old trade trails. The Incans continued to build forts called Pucaraes around the trail. The Chasquis runners began sending messages by these Pre-Incan trails as well.

1534 Ruminahui, our national Incan hero, burns and destroys Quito city and escapes before the Spanish Conquistadors arrive. He carried with him the Incan Emperor´s sons and a group of virgins and crossed  San Jorge  plateau down to Tulipe  by the  ancient trail.

Traditional  Andean Agriculture San Jorge  country  expeditions.	Native woman  San Jorge  Cultural  Adventures

1535 Ruy Diaz, a Spanish soldier, was sent to capture Ruminahui (Stone Face). Stone Face was never captured and is still the symbol of resistance and strength for Ecuador. Diaz returned to Quito with only the virgins and the Emperor's sons.

1537 Francisco Pizarro rewards the Spanish soldier Juan Lobato de Sosa for his services in the Peru Empire Conquest. Lobato de Sosa was given all the land of the Cotocollaos and  of the Yumbos, which consisted of all the Nono Alto Plateau and the Coast Interiors. Was the  first owner of  San Jorge.

1730 Pedro Vincente Maldonado, Ecuadorian scientist, helped Jean Marie Condamine organize an expedition to measure the Middle of the World by using the Pre-Incan trails of the Nono Alto Plateau. (San Jorge area)

1735 Active trading activities began around the plateau. Quitenian products were sent to Panama, by the  carretero de Malbuche , created  by Pedro Vicente Maldonado.

1790 Hacienda  el Condado was  a  Jesuit  retreat. One  of  the  several haciendas  that this powerful religious  catholic  order owned.

1868  The  big  hacienda  named  El Condado, owned  by  Maria  Calisto y Arteta  was divided  in two, the  lower  area  continued  named  El Condado and  the  upper part was called   hacienda  Singuna, (San Jorge Botanical  Reserve-Quito)

1890-1940 Sugar cane and liquor smugglers used these routes to evade paying liquor taxes. Andean cowboys (Chagras) and Andes agriculture men also use the trails to move cattle around the country.

Andean   Cowboy  Trails	Ancient food  trading  systems.

1905 The Ecuadorian president and  best ecuadorian  of  all the times, General Eloy Alfaro, and his family, commanded  by  his  cousin and  political partner Flavio Alfaro, purchase Singuna Farm (now known as San Jorge  Eco-lodge).

1970  Jorge  Cruz  Sr   and Gabriel Barahona, two brothers  in law , bought  the big hacienda Singuna to the   Christian  priests  and  develop an agricultural and  meat cattle  farm.

1989 Dr. George Cruz and his wife Irina develop Hosteria San Jorge Botanical Reserve to show the world this great historical area and develops the  Botanical, archeological and  historical Researches.

2001 A new international office is opened in the United States, managed by Cheryl Korowotny, Director of Marketing & Sales for San Jorge exclusively.

2005 San Jorge de Milpe Bird  and  Orchid  Lodge , San Jorge de Tandayapa Hummingbird Sanctuary, San Jorge de Cosanga-Yanayacu Wildlife  Reserve are purchased and  built as expansion of San Jorge Botanical Reserve Quito and  initiate  The  Magic  Birding and  Hiking Circuit. The first eco -private  circuit  created in Latin America..