Saraguro day 2

If you have not yet read Saraguro day 1, scroll down and read that entry first.

When we arrived at our hotel after dinner it was about 10.30pm. I noticed that I could hear music. It was coming from the town which was down in the valley and our hostel was up the mountain. So we had a great view of the entire valley at night. And with the full moon, the night view was pretty cool. We have finally decided that the music was part of the Pase de Niño (hopefully you read the Paseo de Niño blog first and understand). My teacher explained that among the more poor people this celebration is much larger. And it must have been because the music was hosted by a live DJ and went until 7.30 in the morning. It was so loud that even where we were we could hear it quite loudly. Needless to say, we only slept a bit. I finally got up at 5.30 am and started reading my book.

Our guides had arranged for us to go to a traditional indigenous religious ceremony and explained that there was a a short hike to get there. Totally misrepresented! It took more than an hour to ascend (again straight up with my guide´s ayuda). But we finally arrived to a cave with one side being open to the beautiful view of the Andes and a waterfall cascading down one side. The service lasted about an hour and was indescribable. It is amazing how similar world religions are. There were aspects of the service that were quite similar to the hindu service that I attended once. Briefly, there were flowers in the form of a cross and a fire in the middle. The Shamin thanked the spirits for the earth, sun, fire, and air and for our group. Then the shamin touched each of us to brush away the bad spirits then he blew a drink on each of us to bless us. It was really quite moving and everyone in our group seemed touched. It is nice to be here with college students who are studying the culture because younger students from the US might not have been as respectful. The shamin explained that this ceremony is done four times a year at the equanox and summer/winter solstice. High in the Andes with such a beautiful/peaceful place one could not help but feel closer to nature and the connection of humanity.

The hike down was much the same....narrow path never more than a foot wide and often much less. And during the service it began to rain so now the narrow steps were slippery. A bit of butt sliding helped. Our group kept chanting "buns of steel!" throughout the hike.

After the hike we went into town. Sunday is the big day for the Saraguro market. Their special talent is jewelry but most of it is a bit over the top so I didn´t really shop. The most interesting site ( and me without my camera because of the rain) was at noon when church, opposite the market, ended services. About a hundred people came out of the church, all wearing their indigenous black outfits. What a contrast with the white church. and many were quite old. If I were a National Geographic photographer, I would return next Sunday and document that scene.

Off to lunch...again a traditional indigenous meal. This time more corn (but nothing like we know), wheat (which looked like rice) corn tortella (quite heavy, dense, dry) and cuy (which is guinea pig and very popular here)

FINALLY, and much exhausted and very dirty we got on the bus for the ride home. It was a super experience.

Saraguro day 1

Our group made a weekend trip to Saraguro. It was a four hour ride south on the Pan American highway. Great name for a horrid road. Some of it was dirt, other parts paved but full of pot holes and other parts were under construction. It took 4 1/2 hours to get there by bus but the scenery through the Andes was beautiful.

Saraguro is an indigenous community and according to our guide, no one lives there who is not part of the indegenous community. They all wear the traditional indigenous garb but their particular sect wears all black, to mark their sadness over losing the war with the Spanish 500 years ago.

We stayed in a hostel owned by an indigenous couple who became our guides for the two days. Immediately after dropping our luggage in our rooms (think primitive here but there was a shower with hot water :) we drove into the country and began our hike. Actually climb would have been more accurate and this climb made the Cajas look like a stroll. again, hand holds and strong knees were needed. I quickly ended up in the back where the lady guide was in charge of the rear. Holding out her hand she said "ayuda" and I hesitantly took her hand. She appeared to be about my age and was wearing a dress and what looked like ballet shoes. I reluctantly took her hand and found her to be rock solid. She should prance up the steep inclines as sure footed as a mountain goat. We became fast friends! I´m not sure I would have safely made it up and down without her sure hand.

After 2 hours we finally made it to our destination which was an area in the Inca trail for worship. There were several holes carved in the rock to collect water and watch the reflection of the stars at night. And we got a lesson on their worship of the sun, the land, the importance of the cross. etc.

I´ll spare you the tedious description of my descending, but just know that I¨m better going up than down. After the 4 hour climb we were off to a demonstration of weaving. (Note it is about 7pm now and we´re starving!) The building had about 15 weaving looms for weaving and they sold their products. It was killing me not to buy anything but I´m sure I¨m already over the limit for weight. Beautiful fabrics, rugs, etc.

Finally around 8.30 we were treated to an indigenous dinner. These people eat so healthfully. Full grain everything. No need for metamucil down here. Wonderful potato soup, followed by corn, potatoes, carrots, and chicken. I usually do not eat the meat, now that I´ve seen the meat market.

After dinner the cooks and waiters became the band and we were treated to a wonderful musical performance. Our students began to dance and the evening turned into a lot of fun in spite of exhaustion. Finally our two indigenous guides began to dance too and it was apparent that they dance quite a bit. I even danced with them too and when we sat down, the lady guide (my hiking friend) gave me a big hug. Really cool.

Pase de Niños

The Catholics have an very interesting tradition here. From December to February they celebrate Pase de Niños. I think literally translated this is the passing of the children. As my teacher has explained, groups of families or groups within churches (and there are MANY churches in Cuenca) form a small parade. This parade does not seem to be announced and certainly the police do not clear the streets of traffic. In fact, I have not yet seen any police at the Paseo de Niños. The parade just forms and walks several blocks and the traffic just backs up. And this happens almost daily and at any time of the day.

The costumes and floats in the parade are most elaborate. And it appears that parents and maybe friends walk along beside. The participants are always children. They dress like biblical characters, one float will have the nativity scene, and others will be dressed in Spanish garb. There might be 3 or 4 floats and a horse or two. And there is always music, and often fireworks, which also helps announce to the traffic to prepare to slow down. I´ve gotten some great pictures of the children as they are dressed. I find it interesting that often the women who walk along carry what look to me like wooden cradles, much like little children in the US use to play with their dolls. And in the cradle of course is a baby doll. After the parade, families will celebrate at home with great feasts and celebration.

More about Pase de Niño in the blog on Saraguro.