TAYOS is an organisation continuing the historical and ecological conservation work of Stan Hall in connection to the Tayos Treasure legend and the missing history of Ecuador and the Americas

Working with a number of partner organisations, NGOs, scientists, researchers and artists, our work aims to achieve the following:

Continue the historical and archaeological research into the Tayos treasure legend as well as the pre-columbian cultures of Ecuador and South America which Stan Hall believed to contain missing parts of our pre-history

Support the ecological work of protecting the Tayos cave as well as other endangered and bio diverse ecosystems across Ecuador

Through art, music and film connect people to the spirit of this extraordinary place, share the lessons it offers and guide audiences into deepening their relationship to nature

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The work of Tayos is founded on the balance between our inner and outer worlds

Working with both conservation and creativity, Tayos supports those protecting and regenerating Ecuador’s precious natural habitats and uses the creative arts to educate, and re-imagine the connections between our sensory experience, our wellbeing and the natural world.

Our work is based on the understanding that a sustainable future for our relationship with nature must grow not only from actions but from emotional connection too.

We believe that the tools with which humans have always woven the stories that shape our lives: art, music, writing and poetry, have a vital role to play in re-imagining our place in the world. We use those tools to tell the story of the Tayos Caves and in doing so tell the story of how we can feel into a future which sustains both ourselves and the natural world.

SCROLL DOWN TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ITS HISTORY

“TAYOS IS UP THERE WITH THE MOON”

Astronaut Neil Armstrong

When engineer and explorer Stan Hall led a major scientific expedition into the cave in 1976, alongside astronaut Neil Armstrong and joint special forces, they found a place steeped in myth, ancient culture and home to a unique ecology and geology.

The Tayos Caves lie deep in the south-eastern region of Ecuador’s Amazonian rainforest, in the foothills of the Andes, within one of the richest areas for biodiversity in the world. Stretching to over 5km of underground passages and cathedral-like caverns, Cueva de los Tayos is home not only to the rare and extraordinary Tayos birds that give the cave their name but is a site of powerful spiritual value to its Shuar tribe guardians.

Hidden within its depth is said to be the legendary ‘Gold Library’; a treasure trove of metal plates theorised to belong to an ancient civilisation that may hold within them some missing keys of our pre-history.

Of greater certainty is the presence of large reserves of gold and precious minerals in their raw state, on which the cave and its rainforest environment sit; a presence that places the Tayos Caves under perpetual threat from mining and deforestation.

STAN HALL AND THE 1976 EXPEDITION

Cueva de los Tayos has been the subject of intense research, exploration, speculation and myth-making since the 1970s when Erich von Däniken first published his book ‘The Gold of the Gods’. Von Däniken’s claims that explorer János Juan Móricz had discovered unusual sculptures and a ‘Gold Library’ within apparently artificially carved passages, sensationalized the caves and planted the Cueva de los Tayos in the minds of many readers across the world as a site of mystery, conspiracy and power.

One such reader was Stan Hall; a Scottish civil engineer and real-life Indiana Jones, who, inspired by Von Däniken’s claims, left his home on the east coast of Scotland and in 1976 set about mounting the first major scientific expedition to Cueva de los Tayos.

What Stan achieved in organising this ground-breaking expedition was extraordinary: the exploration remains one of the largest cave expeditions to date, involving over 100 people including Ecuadorean and British government officials, joint special forces, top scientists and speleologists of the time alongside astronaut Neil Armstrong who took the role of Honorary President of the expedition.

Of Von Däniken’s ‘Gold Library’ no evidence was discovered but the expedition members emerged rich in treasure of another kind: the recording of 40 new species of bat, 100 new species of butterfly, 200 new species of beetle and the discovery of a human body and artifacts within the cave dating to as far back as 3500 BCE, confirming the ancient pattern of human attraction towards exploration of the cave.

NATURE AS THE TREASURE

When Stan Hall died in 2008 he left behind a legacy of highlighting the meaning and value of Tayos, which has been the catalyst for a rich history of exploration of the caves ever since.

Following in the footsteps of her father, explorer, artist and creative director Eileen Hall Munoz has dedicated the past 15 years to continuing Stan Hall’s legacy of raising awareness of the Tayos Caves and telling their story.

The path this has taken Eileen on has been one of self-discovery, healing, creative activism and treasure-seeking: a journey in which the treasure Eileen found was not gold but the jungle and the cave itself.

Working with organisations, NGO’s, governmental bodies and communities groups involved in conservation, reforestation, regeneration and eco tourism projects throughout Ecuador, Eileen is committed to realizing Stan Hall’s dream of a protected future for Tayos and carrying his vision of a sustainable future free from conflict.

THE LIMINAL COMPASS

The latest chapter in the story of the treasure of the Cave was born of the rich creative partnership between Eileen Hall Munoz and artist, architect and writer Tamsin Cunningham.

Echoing the path trod by Stan Hall on his journey from Scotland to Ecuador all those years ago, the exploration of the Tayos Cave would prove to be a metamorphic experience in Tamsin’s work and life; deepening and intensifying the connections between natural world and Tamsin’s creative exploration of architecture, art and the written word.

Together, Eileen and Tamsin have built a creative vision for the Tayos project which is a dedication and testament to Stan Hall’s legacy: the telling of the story of a place whose value lies not in the gr4old it harbours but in the treasure of understanding it offers us.

CAVE SCIENCE IN ECUADOR

Persuaded by Stan to investigate the unique underworld of the cave, geologist Dr. Theo Toulkaridis has also dedicated the past decade to researching the geology, archaeology and ecology of Cueva de los Tayos. Theo and his team are now instrumental in the campaign to name Cueva de los Tayos as a UNESCO World Heritage site and secure its protection for generations to come.

FEEL INTO THE FUTURE

The work of Tayos is founded on the nurture of and balance between the landscapes of both our inner and outer worlds

Working with both conservation and creativity, Tayos supports those protecting and regenerating Ecuador’s precious natural habitats and uses the creative arts to educate, and re-imagine the connections between our sensory experience, our wellbeing and the natural world.

Our work is based on the understanding that a sustainable future for our relationship with nature must grow not only from actions but from emotional connection too.

We believe that the tools with which humans have always woven the stories that shape our lives: art, music, writing and poetry, have a vital role to play in re-imagining our place in the world. We use those tools to tell the story of the Tayos Caves and in doing so tell the story of how we can feel into a future which sustains both ourselves and the natural world.