Our two days living among indigenous people in San Clemente brought different experiences for different students. We were divided into three indigenous families for our stay, and at each home we had the opportunity to experience firsthand what life was like for that indigenous family. We had a few activities together and also some unique experiences in each home.
Six people stayed at Juanito's house. His house was the largest and became the meeting point for group activities.
Two groups of three stayed at other...nearby...houses. By nearby we knew in advance that it would be a 10-15 minute walk to Juanito's house. Wesley, Alex and Blain stayed with Natividad. Kirsten, Halle & Kelsey stayed with Susana. The walk itself turned out to be quite a challenge. Most of the walk was uphill (at least in one direction, though for Blaine, Wes & Alex, both direction). By uphill, I mean it involved trekking through a canyon and using natural rock stairs 4 - 6 times a day to get back and forth. With the altitude at 7000+ feet these groups got a workout.
We were treated to amazing, filling, enormous meals at each house. Mealtimes were a great chance for everybody to learn more about the lifestyle of San Clemente Indigenous people and the community-based tourism initiative that the San Clemente Community started in 2002. Breakfast usually included coffee/tea, bread and jam, and eggs, although some had the opportunity to learn how to make tortillas and others had empanadas (with banana and cheese!). The lunch and dinner menus generally included an appetizer (Ecuadorian corn nuts, avocado), a soup (usually with potato or quinoa or barley), and a main course (chicken or beef), and dessert (usually fruit - our favorite might have been the bananas with chocolate sauce). We had a community meal one day for lunch and had a picnic spread of traditional foods from llapingachos (potato cheese patties that are to die for), cuy (Guinea pig - we saw one be born and another be killed for our food in the same day - tastes like chicken - no really!), potato slugs (yes - our second round of insects - fried up they taste like Cheetos). And many more foods! It was an honor to share a meal with these hard working people!
Speaking of hard work...we worked hard while we were there, from milking a cow, to planting lettuce, grinding corn to make cornmeal, and digging up potatoes. A lot of potatoes. Probably in the realm of 400-500 potatoes. The majority of the group spent an entire morning helping a local family harvest their potatoes. For most, this was literally the first time they had done anything like this. We worked and laughed with the families we were helping. It was hard work in the hot sun, but it felt so good to be useful and do this type of labor.
Three brave souls (Brynn, Wes and Alex) and our guides Tupac (yes that is is name - it is a Kichwa name) and Ivan, woke early and braved a trek to the TOP of Imbabura Volcano. In 7 hours, they literally climbed a volcano. Others took time in the afternoon to ride some semi-wild horses on a guided ride through the hills of San Clemente with breathtaking views. 3 of our hosts accompanied the ride on foot.
San Clemente is beautiful and hilly, and has a large canyon that runs through it. The houses are mostly small cement houses and the people have large agriculture feilds that help sustain the community. Most homes have a couple cows and several dogs. When asked what she likes best about San Clemente, one of the hosts, Susana said that she likes the "seguridad" (safety). She said she likes that they don't have to lock doors, and never have to worry about getting robbed or assaulted. The people in this community sustain themselves primarily through agriculture, and it was clear we were eating what was currently harvested. They have a lot of corn, potatoes, and fruit. They also showed us how they use the local trees, leaves, bamboo, and ecology in general in their lives, from food to medicine.
They started their community-based tourism project 14 years ago because there weren't jobs for their children. They needed jobs for their kids as they grew up and needed other sources of income to diversify their community. They said that they have learned a lot from tourists, both good and bad. They enjoy having Europeans and North Americans because we value their traditions and don't look down upon them. Sharing their culture (for example, through a cultural show, handicrafts, and educational lectures about their agriculture seasons and celebrations like INTI RAIMI) helps them maintain the traditions through generations.
It was very clear that this is a hardworking group. The Caranquis were the last indigenous group to be conquered by the Incas. They were "brave for fighting" as our host family indicated. In the end, the Incan ruler married one of the Caranquis princess in order to conquer. The famous Incan ruler Atahualpa was born of this Union. They rise early and are physically active all day, in agriculture or even just to get from place to place on foot. We left exhausted but happy to have been able to share a moment in time with this indigenous community.
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