San Clemente Day 1

Today we left Cuenca and flew back to Quito. From there, we set off towards San Clemente, a north Andean traditional community. On the way, we made several stops. First, we stopped to look at the greenhouses containing roses belonging to many different countries including Holland, Peru, and Ecuador. Roses are one of Ecuador’s largest exports, so the greenhouses in this area are extensive. We then went to another equator monument. This one explained how the different lines on a sundial made by an indigenous group called the Quintucaranci worked. The Andes make Ecuador perfect for astronomical observations because the peaks lie perfectly at the March (middle) line of the sundial. 

We then moved on to the city of Callambe in the Imbabura province. In Ecuador, provinces are named by the largest mountain in the geographical area, in this case a mountain called Imbabura. Callambe is famous for a type of buttery, salty biscuit called bizcocho. They are served with cheese or with dulce de leche.

Upon arriving at the San Clemente community, we were greeted by Manuel and his big black dog, Oso. We sat down for a traditional lunch where Manuel discussed his family and how his parents had lived in the huasipungos that we read about in Jorge Icaza’s novel, Huasipungo. He mentioned that life for the indigenous was far worse than what Icaza portrayed in his novel. Manuel then took us outside and showed us their calendar and what it meant. There are 13 months in their calendar, and everything about it revolves around Pachamama. The Andean people are very connected to nature and look at life as being spiral shaped as opposed to linear. To them, there are three things that describe life: heaven, earth, and the spirits. They also rely heavily on dreams to direct them in life. For example, dreams that involve dirty water warn them of danger that is to come in their futures. People will actually alter their planned courses of actions if they have dreams that compel them to do so. They also believe in the moon as a source of guidance. Their harvest schedule depends on the phase of the moon. When the moon is a waxing crescent, they harvest crops that grow out of the ground, upward. When the moon is a waning crescent, they harvest crops that grow in the ground, downward. This shows how deeply connected to nature this group is. 

After the rain calmed down, we met the family we were staying with; a mother named Zoilita and her son Santiago and grandson Derek. We helped her make dinner by peeling beans, making llapingachos (potato tortillas), and setting the table. While working Zoilita helped us practice our Spanish through friendly conversation. We ate then helped the family clean up the kitchen before going to bed.