Cuenca Trip
The week between Christmas and New Year’s I took a trip to Cuenca, a smaller city in the southern Andes of Ecuador. One of my best friends from Austin is from Cuenca and was going to be there for the holidays. This was our chance to catch up and if you know me, you know I like to place people and my friends over all! It also gave me a chance to make some side visit to sites around Cuenca.
On the day I arrived we went to Cajas National Park. This high-altitude park has breathtaking scenery with lush green paramo plants and lots of lakes. Driving or hiking to a higher altitude gives you a unique biological and scenic experience. At each elevation the vegetation changes. The majority of the Cajas National Park is what they call a paramo. This is an area that is above the tree line, but below the snow line. It has it’s own unique types of vegetation as you can see in the photos.
The next day we took the bus from Cuenca to Cañar to Ingapirca to visit the archeological site in Ingapirca. These are the best know Incan Empire ruins in Ecuador and is a mix of Cañari-Inca construction styles and traditions. As an architect, I am always fascinated to see the construction technologies they used hundreds of years ago. Whether it was the massive stone lintels, the complex underground water aqueduct that brought water to the site or the drains in the walls that demonstrate their understanding of structural and natural forces. I always stand in marvel when I am on the grounds of an ancient site. To think that people stood on that same land hundreds of year before me always gives me chills.
This site also has a kancha. This was a space of gathering. Its use or uses are always debated and not fully known. On this site the kancha is found surrounded by buildings that were believed to be used for storage of food and various other items. Personally, I always find the kancha to be the most fascinating space as it continues to exist in Ecuadorian communities today. The cancha, as it is spelled now, is the word used for a soccer field. These active spaces are typically the actual or symbolic center of any community.
While in Cuenca I also got the opportunity to visit the Pasa Factory since it is the family business of my friend Andrea. Pasa makes clothing, thread, ribbons and other textiles. On our walking tour of the factory it was fun to hear Andrea reminisce and share stories of her childhood wandering the factory halls and rooms! The classic factory architecture and the dynamic machines make it a magical place. We also spent some time exploring Cuenca. Just like Quito, Cuenca has well preserved and beautiful colonial architecture.
New Year Traditions in Ecuador
Ecuador has several unique and fun traditions for New Year’s Eve. The Año Viejo and Viudas are the central components of preparing for and entering a new year. The Año Viejo – translated Old Year – is an effigy made of either stuffed clothes with a mask or paper mache. The effigy is burned at midnight to symbolize the burning of the old year so the new year can have a fresh start. The Viudas – translated widows – are men that cross-dress up as women and beg for money at stop lights and along the streets. They represent the widows of the effigies that are burned that night.
Other traditions, which are found other places around the world also:
- Eating 12 grapes so you can make a wish for each month of the upcoming year.
- Walking around the block with a suitcase to bring you travels and adventure in the New Year. One of the women, walking around the block with a suitcase in the neighborhood we were in, wants to go to Chile this year!
- Wearing colored underwear according to what you wish for in the following year. Yellow for wealth and red for love.
Most people celebrate and welcome the new year in small family and friend gatherings. One of the aspects of Ecuadorian culture that I have always admired and valued is the importance they place on their families. New Year’s Eve is an example of this, where they want to spend that time with their families and those they care about most.
Heather Ann Rule 