The next human existence we know of in the area came in the 1950’s when a Czechoslovakian immigrant, Pepe Yanouch, used the power of mules to transport a bulldozer over the mountains for the purpose of clearing the forests at the junction of the Guayllabamba and Magdalena valleys. After the founding of the town of Saguangal, a road was soon opened to Quito. The area has since been steadily colonized, clearing land further and further up the valleys. Most of these colonists are small-scale family-run farms who cultivate corn, papaya, bananas, and raise beef cattle. Some of these colonists have since been bought out in the process of acquiring land for the reserve.