Endings

1966-68 Peace Corps letter correspondents: Hugh and Gertrude Graham.
On top of the Helderberg escarpment just before leaving for Montana.

Mom was renown for the long letters she wrote to her parents, siblings and to her children, when they were away to college or living on the other side of the continent. Two or three pages single spaced every week was not unusual to my experience. The Peace Corps gave me my first real opportunity to emulate her writing longevity and news worthyness.

 

Solid Endings

 

Maria and Bob's marriage in Quito

The conclusion of our service in the Peace Corps created a number of endings; some solid and others less so. Most of these endings would lead to new beginnings.

 

Two weddings among our group were among the solider kind.  Both marriages were between a Volunteer and an Ecuadorian woman. In so far as I know, both couples remain happily married more than 50 years later. 

 

 

Another solid ending was our summer training session in Montana and Ecuador's future credit cooperative experience. 

 

The training goal was to provide the new Volunteers, who would be our cooperative program replacements for the next two years, with a solid foundation upon which to build a stronger cooperative movement in Ecuador. 

Taking a break from training in Montana

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over the intervening fifty plus years, we heard positive news from knowledgeable people and sources  about the progress of Ecuador's credit cooperative movement. Sources such as the 2014 document; The Feeling is Mutual: Financial Cooperatives in Ecuador supported that conclusion. Mutual support of cooperatives at an international level is growing according to a 2018 source.  Another document discusses the strengthening of Ecuador's rural credit cooperative system. I am confident that the service of Peace Corps Volunteers had a significant role in that success.

 

Disturbing Ending

In 1968 I surveyed farmers participating in the Julio Andrade pilot project during two weeks in Carchi. Analysis of the gathered information indicated farmer attitude toward the pilot project and farm production success; an increasing potato harvest for the participating farmers. 

 

Regrettably, key questions were left out of the survey. Significant environmental and health findings were missing. 

 

To be frank, in 1968 it was probably too early to accurately answer such questions. Harmful impacts associated with pesticide and fertilizer use had not yet risen to our attention level. 

 

An important use of the production credit loans was to purchase chemicals to spray over the crops to protect against debilitating and lethal pests and to fertilize for maximum production. The farmers and ourselves were ignorant of the adverse environmental side effects of these chemicals.

 

Chota valley home

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An analogy would be an evaluation of the success of spraying DDT to reduce insect pests. Clearly, limiting the evaluation to the impact on the target insect pests would present a false picture. Such a narrow evaluation would completely miss the impact on the total environment, including the effect on other animal species such as birds and human beings.

According to "Learning from Carchi, Agricultural Modernisation and the production of Decline" by Stephen G. Sherwood early agriculture production success in Carchi did not have a happy ending. The following quotes from that document help explain why.

During the second half of the twentieth century, farming in Carchi evolved towards a market-oriented potato-pasture system based on a three to five year rotational system.Between 1954 and 1974 potato production increased by about 40 percent and worker productivity by 33 percent (Barsky, 1984). Until recently, the potato growing area in the province continued to swell, with yields rising from12 t/ha in 1974 to 21 t/ha in 1992, a remarkable three times the national average (Crissman et al., 1998b).  

Indian child walking beside bus in Carchi

Essentially every farmer with whom I have talked since arriving to Carchi has made the same general claim: pest problems are getting worse with time. Pesticides have not only become a necessary part of the production system, but each year farmers must make a larger number of applications to sustain production.  

Pesticides were carried in the environment and reached homes and people, leading to potentially costly environmental and health consequences. 

Active surveillance of hospital records revealed that pesticide poisonings in Carchi were among the highest recorded anywhere (Cole et al., 2000). While there were some suicides and accidental exposures, most poisonings were of pesticide applicators. Clinical studies found that both applicators and their family members were at risk.

 

 

 My Loose Ends

This blog conveys my perspective on our volunteer group's two year Ecuador service ending in the Spring of 1968. At this point, I have nothing much to add regarding our group's impact on Ecuador.  

Another area of examination would be the impact of the two year service on the volunteers themselves. I limit that examination to myself, the volunteer I knew best.

The following words from two 1968 letters home give a sense where my mind was at as my Peace Corps service neared its end. I would call it loose with occasions of extraordinary focus.

February -  I have become a member of the fanatical group of hobbit fans, having completed the first book, the Fellowship of the Ring, of the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien. Today by luck I found the third book of the trilogy and I’m looking madly for a copy of the second book, the Two Towers, since I refused to start the third without having read the second. The trilogy totals about 1500 pages in all. 

March - A Volunteer lent me my missing copy of the middle book of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and so I was able to finish all 1400 pages of this fascinating, imaginary epic.

In the six years following my service in Ecuador my life had a lot of ups and downs, resulting in many loose ends.  

In 1968 I was 'engaged' to a German volunteer whose service in Ecuador ended in the summer of 1969. After a year of long distance correspondence and a rendevous on the Isle of Wight in England, our marriage prospects ended on those shores, unhappily for both of us.  

In 1970 I earned a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Wisconsin. Having reached the magic age of 26, I survived the military draft thanks to a most unfair bureaucratic system. 

My life experienced a bit of chaos during the four years following receipt of that planning degree. I took residence and worked in numerous places; San Francisco; Concord, CA; Milwaukee, WI; Mexico; San Francisco again; Olympia, WA; and finally, San Jose, CA. I was employed for three short periods of a year or less in my new planning profession; city, social and environmental planning. In San Francisco I attempted to write a book about the future. Did not get very far, mostly research, not much content.  In 1973 I married for the first time.

In the year 1974 I began a job in what would become known as Silicon Valley. This employment provided a variety of planning assignments over the coming decades. It marked a new beginning for my life, with new friends and work that I found both interesting and stimulating. 

Thirty years later I  retired and am still going strong. Hope to live long enough to see habitable planets or moons circling other stars and friendly aliens who find some humans worthy to operate technology which appears like magic to earthling eyes.

Ride in the Coastal Forest

Coastal Dry Forest with Ceibo Trees standing as sentinels

 

Ecuadorians have protected the Ceibo tree for centuries. Even now, as coastal dry forests are slashed and burned, Ceibo trees remain alone and in pairs, standing guard like soldiers on the heights of coastal hillsides. The Ceibo tree, the 'redwood' of the 'La Costa'  forest, has adapted to periods of drought, appearing dead in the dry season and sending a spectacular display of fresh green leaves and bright white flowers after heavy rains.

  

La Costa Forests

La Costa region of Ecuador shown in red

The western coastal area of Ecuador ("La Costa") is the site of the Pacific Equatorial Forest   whose forest remnants are considered the most endangered tropical forest in the world. La Costa is one of the four natural regions into which Ecuador is divided. The other three are the Sierra (the Andes Mountain Range), The Oriente (the lowland Amazon forest east of the Andes), and the Galapagos islands in the Pacific Ocean. Some 75% of the original native forest has been lost.

 

La Costa encompasses a broad coastal plain, along with some small mountain ranges, extending from the Pacific Ocean on the west to the foothills of the Andes Mountains to the east. It is estimated that a majority of the native forest that originally covered coastal Ecuador has been eliminated in favor of cattle ranching and other agricultural pursuits; including cacao, palm, banana and coffee plantations. Some remaining forest is part of the Tumbes-Choco-Magdalena biodiversity hotspot.

 

The vast majority of the Pacific Equatorial Forest remains unprotected and continues to be logged and cleared for agriculture and cattle ranching. In 2009 the Ecuadorian Ministry of the Environment launched its Socio Bosque (Forest Partners) program, which provides forest owners with an annual conservation subsidy of $30 per hectare ($12/acre). Long-term success is uncertain. 

 

 

The Ride

Note the rugged terrain east of Independencia
where the ride probably occurred

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The satellite image below (click on it to make it larger) shows Independencia. It appears to have grown considerably larger than a hamlet in the 50+ years since I rode the trail to La Deliciosa. The rural area around the village shows some remaining original forest or rejuvenated second growth forest. Lands converted to agriculture indicate a variety of uses. Grasslands for cattle or other grazing animals appear to be the most common.

 

Satellite view of Independencia and environs

The most recent conservation innovation is the use of drones.  At least one organization in Ecuador is implementing drone technology to assist their conservation efforts. Initial plans are to use drones for monitoring the area for illegal logging activities. Another possible drone activity could be monitoring reforestation efforts. CEIBA, is working hard and committing resources to preserving the coastal forest. 

 

 

 

 

Chimborazo

Bob and John as we contemplated started off on our climb of Chimborazo Volcano

 

View of the volcano as we began our climb

Chimborazo is the highest mountain in Ecuador and in the Andes north of Peru. Despite its great height, it is only the 39th highest peak in the Andes. These mountains stretch from the Caribbean Coast of Columbia to the Strait of Magellan in the southern reaches of Chile. Chimborazo is a currently inactive stratovolcano in the Cordillera Occidental range of the Andes. Its last known eruption is believed to have occurred around 550 CE.

 

Climbing through a boulder field

 

The peak of the volcano is 6,263 meters (20,548 ft) above sea level.  Chimborazo’s summit is also the farthest point on the Earth’s surface from the planet’s center, being located along the equatorial bulge. The bulge makes the planet about 43 km (27 mi) wider at the equator than pole-to-pole.

Chimborazo is a favorite of mountain climbers. Reaching the top of the volcano is not a stroll in the country. The climb requires some skill and is often on black ice with low visability due to the clouds crowning its summit. Clampons and other  climbing equipment are required. 

Reading my trip description in the letter excerpt below, I am struck by my naivety regarding the potential climb difficulties. I certainly did not possess the technical equipment which would minimize the dangers associated with a transverse of the icy glacier surface at the volcano's summit. Remaining at the refuge below the snowline was perhaps a smarter decision than I realized at the time.

 

Settling a disagreement

One major disappointment became more evident as I read this letter and searched my files. Numerous photos from my Peace Corps days were missing from the archive I had saved over the years.  The unusual photos and magnificant vistas that i mentioned in this letter were nowheres to be found. 

 

The quality of developed photos prior to digital was sometimes hit or miss. However, I doubt that so many of mine turned out as duds upon development. I fear that many  were misplaced and lost over the intervening years. 

 

 

  

Cayambe and Sundry

Cayambe mountain and farmland

 

The above photo gives a clear picture of the agriculture system in Ecuador's highlands. The higher and steeper lands beneath the rocky height are generally all that is left for the indians to cultivate.

These snippets from an April letter give some sense of the variety of my Peace Corps service life in the capital city of Ecuador. The architecture exhibition was unusual, but we frequently attended first run movies at the local cinema. 

The second paragraph indicates a bit of the variety of co-op activity I was involved with in Quito.  The seminar preparation and statistical report were probably worked on in the National Credit Union Federation building. Working with individual co-ops usually occured in their place of business.

The trip to Cayambe was with the Ecuadorian extention agent with whom I frequently worked. The co-ops are located in the zone of the country which was our responsibility.  The last paragraph gives a sense of my thoughts on some of the difficulties we faced in helping the people of the country achieve economic and social success.

 

 

 

Cotocollao: Prejudice and Progress

 

 

The prejudice toward the indian population of Ecuador is well illustrated by the conflicts among the residents of Cotocollao's barrios. The evil of such prejudice is made extremely graphic by the example of the indian woman trying to get a bus ride to Quito. 

 

Ancient Cotocollao was  a large village. Prior to the discovery of the archaeological site in the 1970s, little was known about pre-columbian cultural life in the northern sierra. The site is strategically located near a pass that connects the Quito basin with the tropical forests of the western Andean foothills. Cotocollao was occupied from approximately 1800 to 500 bce. The occupation levels at Cotocollao are capped by a thick layer of volcanic ash and lapilli associated with the eruption of Mount Pululahua, which is located about seventeen miles to the north. The eruption of this volcano, dated to approximately 467 bce, is thought to have caused the abandonment of the site.

Ambato, Baños and Surprises

Recent photo of Ambato's city center

Ambato

 

Ambato is 2.5 hours by bus and 160 kilometers south of Quito. As is Quito, it is a city located in the central Andean valley of Ecuador. With a population of over 300,000, it is the capital of the province of Tungurahua, and situated at an elevation of 2,577 meters above sea level.  

 

Washing clothes along the river in Latacunga

A visitor is struck by the distinct difference in urban appearence between Quito and Ambato. A search for a historical center will come up empty in the latter city. To understand the difference, one must look to history.

 

On August  5, 1949, the Ambato was struck by a devastating earthquake. According to Wikipedia, it is estimated that more than six thousand people died, and thousands more were left homeless and destitute by the disaster.

 

Much of the city's colonial center was completely ruined. The city was rebuilt with significant international help. The Fruit and Flower Festival is held every year in Ambato to commemorate the anniversary of the earthquake.

 

Latacunga where the clothes are being washed is a town on the Panamerican Highway between Ambato and Quito. I remember taking the photo from the bus window. The photo below adjoining my letter is my only surviving image of the Fruit and Flower Festival. Not sure what happened to the other images that were developed from the "snapping pictures right and left."  

 

 

 

Baños

 

After the provincial capital Ambato, Baños is the second most populous city in Tungurahua with a population of about 15,000. It is an hour's drive, about 40 kilometers east from Ambato. It is a major tourist center due to its natural environment (it is home to more than 60 waterfalls) and its many sport activities. Residents and visitors alike enjoy rafting, kayaking, hiking, biking, horseback riding, hot thermal baths and other sports.

 

The two falls mentioned in my letter

 

More of the cliffs and waterfalls of Baños

 

Baños is the last city in the eastern range of the Andes before reaching the jungle and the Amazon River Basin. Baños is located at an elevation of 1,820 meters on the northern foothills of the Tungurahua volcano. Volcanic activity has been characterized by frequent powerful ash explosions and lava flows that can be seen from Baños.

Posing in front of waterfall near Baños

Surprises

Politics and Demonstrations

Some of the members of the "Mercado Central" Cooperative in the City of Quito that assisted in presenting a basic course in cooperativism at the General Assembly. With them on the right is R. Jensen, a Peace Corps Volunteer and one of the teachers of the course.

Cooperative National Assembly

The 1967 General Assembly of the National Federation of Cooperatives occured in January in Quito. As described in my letter home that month, the progress attained in comparison to the 1966 Assembly was significant. Growth figures found in the record of the 1968 Federation of Cooperatives Assembly illustate that progress. 

 

Between December 1966 and September 1967, for the entire country of Ecuador, the number of cooperatives increased 13% (from 152 to 172), membership increased 22% (from 24,006 to 29,192), and the value of loans in Sucres (Ecuadorian currency at the time) increased 69% from 78,768,200 to 133,308,400. 

 

[In 2000 the US Dollar was adopted as Ecuador's official currency with a value of 25,000 sucres to the dollar. In 2001, the Sucre was no longer an official currency.]

 

Quito 2020, per Iowa Credit Union League

 

In 2019, members of the Iowa Credit Union League conducted a World Council of Credit Unions exchange visit with Ecuador. By that year, Ecuador had about 600 credit union cooperatives. They visited two of them – Cooperativa Jardin Azuayo in Cuenca and Cooprogreso, based in the capital of Quito. Jardin Azuayo is the second-largest credit union in Ecuador, with more than 400,000 members and assets of $835 million, and Cooprogreso is the fourth-largest, with 214,000 members and assets of $491 million.

 

Today, according to the Iowa visitors, Ecuador credit unions emphasize microlending (as was stressed by the Peace Corps Volunteers in the 1960s). Microlending programs have allowed both credit unions visited to significantly impact their members and their communities. The programs enable the credit unions to help middle and lower-income members obtain loans for their businesses despite a typical lack of credit history, and gain critical educational opportunities.

 

Rio Protocol

 

Plaza Grande: Where we encountered a demonstration against the Rio Protocol

according to my 1-31-67 letter.  H Graem © 2007

 

 

1942 signing of the Protocol & a big chandelier

 

 

The Protocol was intended to finally resolve the long-running territorial dispute between the Peru and Ecuador. It was to mark the official end of the Ecuadorian–Peruvian War of 1941-1942. 

 

Regardless, the Protocol failed to satisfy that goal.  War broke out between Peru and Ecuador twice more, in 1981 and in 1995. Ultimately, the 1995 signing of the Itamaraty Peace Declaration was believed to bring final resolution to the dispute. 

 

The Declaration of Itamaraty officially ended the 1995 combat between the two countries.  Under the declaration the two nations accepted an observation mission from the guarantee countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and the United States.) The total demilitarization of the disputed area was required. 

 

The two countries committed to start negotiations to resolve the border dispute peacefully. The success of these negotiations was commemorated on October 28, 1998, in a historic ceremony at the Itamaraty Palace in Brasilia. The long-standing border dispute that had fed persistent rivalry, a series of failed diplomatic overtures, and sporadic hostilities between Ecuador and Peru was finally put to rest. 

 

The signing of the Brasilia Peace Accord was the final act in a prolonged conflict that had, due to the vast size and strategic location of the contested area, been an enduring source of regional instability. This outcome followed an intensive mediation exercise that had mobilised diplomatic energies on an unprecedented scale, incorporating the first effective multilateral peace-keeping mission in South America.

 

 

Dating and Attitudes 

I end this subject and Post with a thought from the mature person (no longer a 20 year old) producing this blog.  Given the attitudes, beliefs and ‘facts’ voted for by a large portion of the American population at the ending of 2020, are we really that different from 1960s Ecuadorians? Perhaps a young Ecuadorian visiting the United States today might have thoughts about American culture not dissimilar to mine 60 years ago regarding Ecuador.