After touring the fabulous complex devoted to Ecuadorean artist Oswaldo Guayasamin in Quito this morning, we hopped on a bus that left just two minutes after we arrived at the station for the two-hour journey to the market city of Otavalo, arriving there about 3:30. We had planned our entire 3.5-month itinerary around being in Otavalo on the Friday afternoon so we would be in town for the famous weekly Saturday market and also a town in Peru for another market day!
Otavalo was one of Ecuador’s top attractions because of the world-renowned weekly market. For hundreds of years, indigenas from surrounding villages have brought their crafts and produce down from the hills for a day of frenzied barter and sale here. Nowadays, producers from across Ecuador and Colombia plus many visitors flood the town’s streets every weekend.
The Lonely Planet travel guide wrote that Otavaleños have been accomplished weavers since pre-colonial times when they traded textiles for aciote, a red dye, and cotton with people from the Orient. The Incas finally took control of the region in 1495 which began almost 500 years of exploitation of the Otavaleños’ skills. The Incas brought alpacas and llamas with them for wool which was easier to weave and dye than the cotton. The locals adopted Inca clothing, a form of which we saw women wearing. The traditional dress reputedly resembled Inca clothing more closely than that of any other indigenous people of the Andes.
The rise of regional tourism opened up the Otavalo valley to the outside world and spread the word of its marvelous textiles. Thanks to the success of the weaving industry, the Otavaleños are now one of the most prosperous ad well-traveled indigenous groups in South America as well as being at the political and cultural forefront of the country’s under-represented peoples. However, a great percentage of the Otavaleños, especially in the surrounding villages, live in poverty and are victims of racial discrimination.
It was neat having a female taxi driver take us to our hotel from the bus station as we’d never had a woman driver before anywhere. The $1.50 taxi ride couldn’t be beat either. South America is certainly a cheap option for travelers if money is an issue as transportation costs have been ridiculously cheap, so far at least. Since the hotel only had six guests, the manager kindly gave us our pick of rooms; we chose one facing the main street, preferring to be in the thick of things and, even though it would be noisy, it was all relative as we were in Otavalo after all, not a major metropolis like Quito or Bogota! We didn’t check in a moment too soon as it began raining cats and dogs just a few minutes later.
Otavalo was one of Ecuador’s top attractions because of the world-renowned weekly market. For hundreds of years, indigenas from surrounding villages have brought their crafts and produce down from the hills for a day of frenzied barter and sale here. Nowadays, producers from across Ecuador and Colombia plus many visitors flood the town’s streets every weekend.
The Lonely Planet travel guide wrote that Otavaleños have been accomplished weavers since pre-colonial times when they traded textiles for aciote, a red dye, and cotton with people from the Orient. The Incas finally took control of the region in 1495 which began almost 500 years of exploitation of the Otavaleños’ skills. The Incas brought alpacas and llamas with them for wool which was easier to weave and dye than the cotton. The locals adopted Inca clothing, a form of which we saw women wearing. The traditional dress reputedly resembled Inca clothing more closely than that of any other indigenous people of the Andes.
The rise of regional tourism opened up the Otavalo valley to the outside world and spread the word of its marvelous textiles. Thanks to the success of the weaving industry, the Otavaleños are now one of the most prosperous ad well-traveled indigenous groups in South America as well as being at the political and cultural forefront of the country’s under-represented peoples. However, a great percentage of the Otavaleños, especially in the surrounding villages, live in poverty and are victims of racial discrimination.
It was neat having a female taxi driver take us to our hotel from the bus station as we’d never had a woman driver before anywhere. The $1.50 taxi ride couldn’t be beat either. South America is certainly a cheap option for travelers if money is an issue as transportation costs have been ridiculously cheap, so far at least. Since the hotel only had six guests, the manager kindly gave us our pick of rooms; we chose one facing the main street, preferring to be in the thick of things and, even though it would be noisy, it was all relative as we were in Otavalo after all, not a major metropolis like Quito or Bogota! We didn’t check in a moment too soon as it began raining cats and dogs just a few minutes later.
When it let up a bit, we ventured out toward the Iglesia de San Luis which overlooked Plaza Bolivar, of course! On the way, we encountered a funeral procession. Perhaps the rain was God's tears...
In the center of Plaza Bolivar was an imposing bust of Ruminahui, the valiant Inca general who led a fight against the Spanish invaders.
The elegant Municipio or City Hall also faced the central square.
Although the main Catholic church was very plain from the outside, the interior featured a small but ornate gold-leaf and gold-painted altar, as well as a pretty tiled ceiling.
Unfortunately, a very apropos sign of the times we live in these days. It roughly translated to 'Turn off your phone and listen to your heart.' Amen to that.
I loved that local elements were incorporated into the design of Iglesia San Luis.
As we walked the streets, we were so glad that we had made the choice to stop in Otavalo for tomorrow’s market after seeing so many women of all ages and many girls wearing traditional clothing. I read that was done as it was closely associated with their cultural identity.
The attire comprised white, poufy blouses with intricate embroidery, shawls, gold-colored beaded necklaces with 20 or more strands, red-beaded bracelets, embroidered belts, black wraparound skirts with their hair wrapped up in strips of woven cloth and black velvet-looking sandals.
I didn't feel at all comfortable taking any photos of the local women so attired as they walked toward us on the street as it would be too much like an invasion of their privacy. At the market the next day, I took photos far more respectfully, I believe. These photos from the many shops selling the blouses and belts will have to do until you read the next post!
The intricately woven belts were gorgeous and so colorful.
We then strolled a few blocks to Iglesia Jordan which had an impressive entryway.
Even the interior wooden door was stunning to look at even if it were for decoration only.
Having fluorescent lights on the altar were new to us.
Steven and I were both intrigued by the town’s street lights as each one was different and fun to look at. They reminded both of us of the very unusual street lights in Roswell, New Mexico which have alien faces on them!
I am sure you must be wondering why on God's green earth I took not one but two photos of the sidewalk in Otavalo, right?! For almost the prior three weeks and also three weeks since we were in Otavalo, we could count on one hand the number of times that any town or even capital city we've visited has had sidewalks like we take for granted. Virtually everywhere we've walked we've had to exercise significant caution to avoid stepping in gaping holes on sidewalks or sidewalks that should have condemned years ago.
What a simple joy it was to walk on even sidewalks with no hazards to be on the constant lookout for! It's small things like this that one takes for granted at home and make traveling in new places more challenging especially if you've got 'foot issue' like me.
We finally stopped for a meal in an emapanada shop, our first meal since breakfast at our hotel in Quito ten hours earlier. Did we wolf dinner down quickly!
Next post: Markets, a weaving village, waterfalls and Andean condors.
Posted on October 18th, 2017, from Lima, Peru.
Absolutely LOVE the street lights ; Off to Newfoundland this afternoon -- my first visit to Canada's most eastern spot.
ReplyDeleteLove to you both. xoxox