Ancestral architecture of minimal impact tourist houses in communities with demonstration of ethnobotanical knowledge. demonstration of ethnobotanical knowledge. Case study: Shuar community in Ecuador

Abstract

Introduction. The ancestral knowledge allows living and immortalizing the customs, uses and traditions that the ancestors have left through time in the communities of Ecuador. The ancestral ethno-knowledge of the Shuar community located in the province of Pastaza, northeast of the Amazon region is extraordinarily rich and varied. Methodology. Data collection was done through participatory workshops, surveys, and expeditions in the study area. Objective. The purpose was to collect plant species and identify them in situ, always accompanied by local people considered to have experience and knowledge of their territory. Results. A total of ten species of flora that are part of the traditions and culture of the community were recorded, from which it was concluded that ayahuasca followed by cat's claw are the representative species and that the forest is the main source of food, medical supplies, rituals, music, handicrafts, construction, celebrations, etc. Conclusions. The importance of tourist architecture lies in the design of community ancestral tourist houses with low environmental impact thanks to the use of raw material extracted from local plants for its construction, has allowed to have adequate spaces for demonstrations of ethnobotanical knowledge where the intercultural connection between the shaman who has the ancestral heritage with its physical - natural and cultural - religious - spiritual environment, allowing the tourist to eliminate elements that cause the evil that suffers, ethnobotanical knowledge of the Shuar community that have great acceptance by domestic and foreign tourists.