Ollu Folk Culture Center

Ollu Folk Culture Center has a set of traditional houses that have been restored and it is possible to visit them.

The center also presents the activities of the region in which it was located, from pre-Columbian times until now, through an exhibition of photographs and objects related to this topic.

Because there are about 15 houses inside the Centre, each one has its own specific features:

Casa del Pueblo (Peoples House): shows how people lived in Villca before electricity existed, nowadays tourists can see the old kitchen where they used to make bread with a firewood oven. It has eight rooms and nine windows.

Restaurant El Caburé: The house where visitors can eat typical Ollu food such as Llajua (a broth), Chairo (dumplings), and Chaucho (roasted guinea pig). The house has four rooms.

Art gallery Dochapampa: It was a warehouse before where they stored grains, nowadays you can see the life of an Ollu woman in a room with nine windows.

Casa de las Mujeres (Women’s House): This restored house belonged to Don Pedro Illescas, grandfather of the writer Carlos Condori Tola who describes this place in his book “La casa de mis abuelos”. There are six rooms and eight windows.

Cañada del Alpamayo where you can find traditional sceneries like Inca roads, vestiges of the past like the ruins of Ollu and Tambo Escondido (Hidden Inn).

The people who visit this place can also attend craft workshops that show how Indians created a different kinds of crafts in pre-Columbian times. It covers more than 10,000 square meters and it is located 30 km away from rural Villca.

There is a huge natural space to practice sport activities such as horseback riding, rowing, or hiking through the Cañada del Alpamayo where you can see many plants such as “quinoa” and different species of wild birds. The center offers many facilities for these kinds of activities.

There are classes every day about topics related to culture, history, and customs.

The center provides transportation to its visitors.

There is an auditorium for hosting conferences and seminars about topics related to culture, arts, etc. The Centre has a library where tourists can get information about the Culture of Ollu and literature from all over the world.

The museum displays many objects used in pre-Columbian time like weapons or stones that people used during the rituals at “Templo de Pachatata”. These kinds of instruments are carved on stones and they were created by Otavalos Indians who made a different kinds of crafts such as pottery.

The Museum also houses objects showing how people lived in this region before electricity existed; it shows the typical kitchen (Chifa kawma) where they cooked Llajua (broth), Chairo (dumplings), and Chaucho (roasted guinea pig).

The Museum has a collection of photos of the activities that take place in the center. There is a library with books about topics related to culture, art, photography among other things.