Tag: Ecuador

The New Year

 

Dummies or Majotes decorate shop fronts, taxis, and private cars all over Cuenca.  Most of them represent political figures and you can add your thoughts to their message board, some are cartoon characters, and some are more sophisticated displays created by an entire neighborhood.  In the end they will be kicked to the curb and set on fire, symbolizing the end of the old year and what ever grief or despair that was there is now burned and a fresh slate awaits the New Year.

Yellow underwear for all genders and ages is worn for good luck, twelve grapes are consumed at midnight, young men dressed like Viajes or widows roam the neighborhood begging candy and pennies, and free beer stands are set up in the neighborhood.  Who could ask for more.

http://www.life-in-ecuador.com/ecuador-new-years.html

Feliz Ano Nuevo as they say in Cuenca.

Sally

Christmas Eve Pase del Nino Viajero

December 24 marks the final Pase del Nino.  This extremely long parade is exactly like the prior smaller ones that we had the opportunity to see, but it lasted for six and a half hours.  We took an ice cream break, a lunch break and did some window shopping each time to return to Simon Bolivar to see more of the parade.  Beautiful costumes, off key bands, exuberant dancers and smiling faces lasted for the entire parade.  A good laugh breaks all language barriers.  Toward the end of the parade there were about 6 floats with roasted pigs on them.  My favorite was this whole hog with a tiny umbrella over his head.  The lady standing beside me and I both had a good laugh over that one.  The final figure in this parade was not Santa but a smiling archbishop waving to the Church community.  I suspect that he waited out his time to appear in the comfort of his office not in the Plaza de San Francisco as the other participants did.

Feliz Navidad

Sally

Pase del Nino Viajero

Friday, December 23, Troy and I had the privilege of witnessing an unusual and typically Ecuadorian celebration called the Pase del Nino Viajero.  The celebration began 60 years ago when a wealthy family commissioned an Italian artist to carve a statue of the Infant Jesus.  The Priest who collected the Image traveled extensively with it before returning to Cuenca.   The Statue was welcomed home and referred to as the Traveling Child.  Every year the Sagrada Imagen is brought from the Saturio Mariano where it has spent most of the year and makes another ceremonial journey.  This journey is a highly military one.  The Image is dressed in a military uniform,  guarded by lancers and the horsemen, personally carried by a three star general.  Over a period of about three hours, the image leaves the Saturio Mariano, visits a monastery, is the center piece of a vesper service at the New Cathedral, is carried across the park and finally comes to rest at the Old Cathedral.  The whole concept was strangely wonderful to Troy and me.  There was no political correctness.  Close ties to the Church and Military.  Black face clowns dancing down the aisle of the church with their arms full of flowers. Cowboys with whips.  Men and women joyously singing and dancing as they brought traditional gifts to the altar.  There would be protests aplenty in the USA.   We can hardly wait to see what Christmas Eve brings.  We will be attending a Rooster Mass.

Feliz Navidad,

Sally

Sombrero Museum

The Museo Municipal Casa del Sombrero has been a UNESCO site since 2010.  Located about six blocks from Parque Calderon on Calle Largo this beautifully restored workshop and museum shows the Panama hat which was never made in Panama from straw to the final product.  Some of the hats are the color or their natural straw and others have been bleached the way Al Capone preferred his.  If you are lucky hat makers will be at work training those interested in the art of hat making.  There is a large selection of hats for men and a smaller, but beautiful selection for women.  After making your purchase, there is a free cup of coffee waiting upstairs on the terrace which allows you to take in a beautiful view of the city.  See more about Panama Hats here:  https://www.brentblack.com/

 

El Mercado

A trip to the market is an adventure.  There is a super market near the apartment where we pick up essentials like cereal and milk, but the best shopping is done at El Mercado Principal.  Enter on the ground floor to be astounded by a rainbow of colors in the form of fruits and vegetables.  How do you want your bananas?  Yellow, red, purple? The size of a finger , a hand or a forearm?  Pineapples, citrus of every kind, watermelon, and then the unknown.  You can ask for a taste, bargain for the best strawberries, or be so overcome you walk away with nothing.  If you don’t want to shop hungry go upstairs for delicious pork and potatoes.  Just choose the hog that catches the eye.  Every part is available from the snout to the tail.  We don’t know where they are cooked or what force gets that porcine hulk into the market, but there he is waiting to be sold.  Two dollars will get you a plateful with potatoes on the side.  Want pancakes, soup, empanadas?  Just get in line.  The bottom floor takes a little more courage.  I was lured down there by the elaborate manger scene that was set up for the customers to enjoy.  Children pose in front of Mary and Joseph and all the other Biblical characters along with some that I suspect have a pagan past, like my kiddos posed with Santa.  Past this sweet spot there is a large array of animal parts.  Pig heads, cow legs, tripe, tongue, liver and chickens with or without feet.  Want a guinea pig for supper?  It is available as well as the special oven you will need to cook it. A visit to the bakery is even more fun, however it seems tame in comparison to that whole hog on display.

Museo de Pumapungo

At the east end of Calle Largo the Museo Pumapungo one of Cuenca’s most polished museums awaits the visitor.  The museum is free.  Just enter the building sign a visitors form and prepare to be entertained.  The first floor has a lovely shop with unique jewelry, toys, and tiles.  One area is entirely devoted to coins a reminder that this museum was once known as Banco Central Museum.The rest of the area is made of up displays of woven clothing, hat, musical instruments and household items used by residents of the area.  Seeing the interior of these huts made we realize how opulent our lives are.

The most fascinating and peaceful part of the museum was the outdoor archeological park behind the building.  First there were two large ovens that were used to bake the building materials used in building the Incan city.  There were the usual temple sites and outlines of buildings used for storage or various needs.  Llamas grazed and slept on the terraced hill and there was a huge garden that represented the crops that provided food for the residents of the area.  Corn, the staff of life, watermelons, pumpkins, beans are a part of the Incan diet were grown.  There are fours rivers near by to irrigation was available to water the crops.  Flowers and herbs that were easily recognizable were used as food and medicines.  An beautiful well tended aviary was full of birds.  The Incan people believed there was a direct connection between man and bird and the birds became godlike.  Feathers were used to adorn their clothing and their bodies.  One particular item in the part was particularly beautiful.  A small tower filled with music and nets of feathers featured a video of migrating birds.  We were invited to sit and meditate on the importance of our feathered friends.  We plan to return to the outdoor park for a second visit.

 

Concert in Catedral Vieja

The Catedral Vieja or Old Cathedral was the site of a Christmas concert in Cuenca.  The altar of the Cathedral shows life size representations of Jesus and his disciples at the last supper.  The choral of expats performed in front of this magnificent altar piece.   The program was music representing the choir members  from England, Germany, Spain and North and South America.  The performers were not young but their voices were full of energy and enthusiasm.  The final part of the program was congregational singing of very familiar carols.  First one verse in English and then one in Spanish.  We left the sanctuary one by one carrying a lighted candle into the night.  Symbolic of the light of Christ going out into the world.  Read more about Catedral Vieja here: https://www.ubicacuenca.com/info/catedralvieja

Adios,  Sally

Advent Begins

Part of the joy of travel is the wonderful and unexpected surprises one happens upon.  We left a rather solemn artist display in Bella Vista and asked the taxi driver to drop us off at the Plaza Independencia.  He could not get any closer than four blocks away so he dropped us off at the VOTA Basilica and we received an early Christmas present.  A two hour long parade to introduce the Christmas season unfolded before us.  Indigenous dancers in native costume danced toward the cathedral.  Skirts swirled, flags waved, sombreros bobbed as the dancers performed uphill no less.  A group from the Amazon had donned feathers, made bird calls and stopped to shoot Roman candles. Clowns handed out candy to the children.   Military band, high school bands, middle school bands beat drums, struck bell lyres, and played their instruments rather badly but so enthusiastically.  The only melody we recognized was THE BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC which struck me as an odd choice.   Age did not deter the performers.  Some were very young and their parents were close by with water for them; some had seen a number of parades in their life time.  I made friends with a couple who proudly pointed out their son and who were going to visit Houston.  I can only hope that they will enjoy their visit as much as we have enjoyed ours. Below are just a few shots Troy made.  Click and enjoy

Adios,  Sally

From the Plaza through the “sweetest street”

 

 

 

 

 

Today was another mixture of pageantry and antiquity.  Every month a new Battalion comes to the presidential palace to serve as guards.  This is quite an event.  The old lancers march away from the place, new lancers take their place, bands play and horses carry the cavalry to some mysterious somewhere.  The band plays the National Anthem and a lot of John Phillip Sousa.  A good time was had by all.

img_9666

The President and Miss Quito applaud the changing of the Guard.

 

img_9641The band played as the lancers left and new one came on board.  Bet you can spot the secret service agent.  Marines in full attack gear were at the ready.

 

img_9648

The funny thing is that most of these officials were waving, blowing kisses and checking their cell phones.

 

img_9608

This market sells everything from coffee and ice cream to beautifully crafted clothing and linens.  All at a good price just for you lady.

img_9610

The Andean pan flute player depended on technology to sell his haunting melodies.  One of my favorite moments of the day.

img_9682

 

The Arca de Reina that leads to the Ronda the oldest street in the city.img_9674

Plaza San Francisco.  Part of really antique Quito.  The outside does not do justice to the interior of this church.

 

The Next Morning

This is the sight from our window.  The gold and white building is a basilica and the Gothic cathedral behind it offers the opportunity to climb to the top for great views of Quito.  We definitely won’t do much climbing today.  We walked uphill to breakfast.  We purchased 2 bisochos, 2 empanadas, and 2 ingritos , 2 jugos naranja and 2 bottled waters  for 3 dollars.  It seemed like a good deal to me.  For $1.25 we added two mangos, 4 banana and two papayas from the fruiteria and coffee and milk from the convenience store came to another 3 dollars.  Troy shared part of our treasure with a Viejo who seemed very grateful.  That little trek wore us out.  We are following everyone’s advice and taking these first days at a slow pace.  We are about to check out lunch and the Mercado.