Manta

Images of the city of Manta. Except for the upper right image, all are of a city place

created since 1966

 

 

Manta today is a very different city from the place I visited on an October weekend in 1966. For starters, it is much bigger. with a 2010 population of 217,553 compared to about 48,000 more than 50 years ago. I expect that the beaches are a bit more crowded.

 

Lacking photos of our 1966 Manta weekend, these photos were selected for the ability to bring back those old memories.

 

 

 

Manta has existed since Pr-Columbian times. It was a trading post for the Manta people, also known as Manteños. Today tuna fishing is its principal economic activity.

 

 

Depending on the source, Manta has the largest or second largest seaport in Ecuador. From its port it ships elsewhere coffee, cacao, bananas, cotton, textiles, and fish. Deep-sea commercial fishing is based there. 

 

Manta has a large tuna cannery which ships all over the world. It has a chemical industry, with products ranging from cleaning supplies to oils and margarine.

Tourism has grown as seaside resort and fishing facilities have been established. Various cruise ships make Manta a port of call while traveling the southern Pacific Ocean. The popular Murciélago Beach is on the city's northwestern tip. Bars and restaurants are clustered along the Malecón Escénico promenade and nearby streets. The low-key Tarqui Beach has a waterside fish market.

Montecristi

Current downtown Montecristi scene thanks to Google Maps

In 2010 Montecristi's population was 46,300. This was a substantial increase from its 1966 population of around 5,000. Much of that growth has occured in the last two decades due to a substantial increase in the rate of growth since the turn of the century.

 

Montecristi was founded during the first years of the Spanish conquest when Manta residents fled inland to avoid pirate attacks. According to some sources, the place acquired the name of Montecriste from an early settler named Criste. The village name later evolved into Montecristi. 

 

Hat store in Montecristi

 

 

 

"Panama" hats are a major product of Montecristi, Ecuador. They are hand-made by the local residents. It takes a few days to make a basic Panama hats. The real expensive ones take much longer to finish and cost in the thousands of dollars. 

 

"Panama Hats" during manufacture

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the 1960s, Ocepa was the organization through which Peace Corps Volunteers were placed with artisans in Ecuador. A major objective was to create items more salable on the international market. Ocepa no longer exists. Different organizations appear to have taken on some of Ocepa's former role working with artisans.

 

The Montecristi Foundation is a non-profit NGO that works with  makers of "Panama" hats. According to their website, their mission is to preserve, and to re-grow, the centuries-old art of hand-weaving the legendary Montecristi “Panama” hats.

  

Los Colorados

 

The Tsachila are an indigenous people who reside in the Ecuadorian province of Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, an Ecuadorian Province created in 2007 from territory previously in the province of Pichincha. 

 

Colorados participating in a ceremony

 

 

The Spaniards called them "Colorado" (meaning colored red) because they used to cover their entire bodies in the red juices of the achiote seeds, for prevention against Smallpox. Men wear horizontally striped cobalt blue/black and white skirts, and the women wear brightly colored horizontally striped skirts.