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.

 

 

Festivals, Festivities & Similar Activities

Central Quito, with certain plazas labeled, where various festivities were known to occur  

Around the end of the year Ecuadorians focus on enjoying life.  It is a time of holidays and associated celebrations. It is not a time to expect a lot of work to be done.  The following, pieced together from photographs, memory and my letters home, is a taste of what I experienced around the New Year:

Day of the Dead - November 1 & 2, visit the graves of ancestors and leave food. For a time of great liveliness and cheer, it is ironic that this end of the year period begins with the Day of the Dead. 

Celebrating Quito in the streets

 

American Thanksgiving - Late November dinner at the Peace Corps doctor’s home along with 8-9 other volunteers and the Peace Corps Director for Ecuador. Included martinis, turkey and the traditional trimmings.

Co-op Volunteer Conference - November 28 is start to our semiannual volunteer gathering consisting of discussions among ourselves leading hopefully to constructive suggestions for the Ecuador Cooperative Federation. We also participate in courses volunteers had requested on subjects where we felt weak.

Pre-Conference party - November 25 we Quito residents plus other volunteers in town for the conference enjoy a Spaghetti dinner with wine at residence of some female volunteers living in our barrio Vicentina. After dinner a CARE worker we had invited played folk songs on his guitar. 

Dancing at a big party

Quito Foundation Day - December 6 marks the Spanish founding of Quito by the conquistador Sebastian de Benalcazar. [The city existed long before the arrival of the Spanish. Historians believe the indigenous Quitu people originally established it as an important urban center.] The founding of Quito is officially commemorated with bullfights (I attended a few), a tradition which is a relic of Spanish colonial rule.

 

Misa de Gallo - On December 24 Ecuadorians celebrate a special mass called the “Rooster Mass.” 

 

Christmas - On December 25 Ecuadorians go all out with citywide Christmas pageants. This is the day of the Paseo del Niño children’s parade. 

February/March Carnival - beginning on the weekend before Lent and continuing until Fat Tuesday, Ecuador’s Carnival celebrations are in full swing. Quito celebrations include people throwing water balloons, spraying foam, and other frivolous activities.  

 

Out on the streets at night on Quito's Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Children Waiting to Attend Party?

 

 

 

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.

 

Ecuador Space Connection

 

Former NASA satellite tracking station in Chile

 

Space Activity

 

In August 1957, the United States, through NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) installed on the slopes of Cotopaxi Volcano, a Satellite Tracking Station for the purpose of monitoring and controlling the orbit of American satellites.  

 

NASA rocket on the launch pad

 

 

 

In 1981, fifteen years after our visit to the satellite tracking station, NASA ended 25 year’s of tracking US space satellites in Ecuador and handed the station over to the Ecuadorian government.

 

In 1977 Ecuador created CLIRSEN (the Center for Integrated Natural Resources Remote Sensing). Starting in 1981 CLIRSEN gathered satellite data to produce maps for the planning and development of the country. Subjects covered included agriculture, aquaculture, environment, health and disaster preparedness. 

 

In 2007 Ecuador celebrated the 50th anniversary of the station. Beginning in 2012, the station was operated by a new Ecuadorian agency; the Ecuadorian Space Institute or IEE. The Institute continued the activities developed under CLIRSEN and took on new responsibilities related to space research.

 

Image based on an official photo of the Ecuadorian Space Institute
operating on the site of the former satellite tracking station

 

Cooperative Courses

 

Creating and presenting various courses for the cooperatives under my responsibility was my first introduction to teaching. As can be seen in my letters home, I thoroughly enjoyed the teaching experience.

 

Students in one of our cooperative classes

 

 

 

My language failings bothered me throughout my Peace Corps service. Despite this weakness, I seem to have survived and been of a benefit to the country. Working primarily in the capital city where English knowledge was highly valued and possessing skills learned from an excellent economics education helped me considerably.

Despite my lack of fluency with Spanish conversation, I was able to design and create the courses in Spanish. I used my Spanish knowledge to translate English sources into Spanish and present the information to the cooperative students. Reviewing the lessons learned, we found the students successfully expanding  their understanding of the particular subjects involved. 

 

Weather Ills

Quito's Plaza Grande (or de Independencia) before a winter rain

The weather is not the most exciting subject for a place located almost two miles high and on the equator. Nevertheless, it can have a significant impact on one's health if care is not taken to protect oneself.  

 

The proposed trip to Manta could have a positive health impact, especially since hurricanes are not known to frequent Manta's coast. Getting to better know the country we are serving in is also a positive benefit of service in the Peace Corps. Our Manta experience will be described in the next post.