Guatemala 8/3/2017

Thursday 8/3/2017 - Cotacachi, Peguche Falls, and Otavalo

Today was a very busy and fun-filled day of sightseeing in the Cotacachi and Otavalo area.

It was chilly this morning and Eddy warmed his hands by the gas burners on the stove while Rosa and Paulina prepared breakfast. We enjoyed a frittata-liked egg dish containing potatoes, served with ham, cheese, fresh juice, and coffee.

Then the girls all got dressed up in traditional Otavalan clothing. This consists of a white blouse with colorful embroidery and/or beadwork around the bodice. There are then two layers of wool skirts known in Kichwa as anakos. The under layer is a lighter color and the top layer is a dark color. This signifies the duality of day and night, dark and light.

The anakos are wrapped and folded tightly around the waist, and then cinched with a mama chumbi (mama belt), a wide red woven belt. The color is important because it provides protection from mal aire, or evil. A wawa chumbi (baby belt), which is color coordinated to the blouse, is then wrapped on top, covering the mama chumbi.

A fachalina is a sash which, depending on the shoulder on which it is knotted, indicates the marital status of the wearer (left is for single, right is for married).

The look is finished off with accessories. A walca is a necklace consisting of multiple strands of gold beads. The size of the beads increases with the wearer's age, signifying the knowledge and wisdom that she has amassed in her lifetime.

Maki watana bracelets are long strings of coral beads wrapped around the wrists. The red color again provides protection.

Hair is pulled back into a ponytail, which is wrapped in a cinta, or embroidered ribbon, which matches the blouse and wawa chumbi.

Women wear black espadrille shoes to complete the traditional outfit.

After seven years of doing this, I still can't dress myself. The skirts have to be layered, pleated, and cinched just so. It is always a production for Rosa to dress me, since I am so much larger than she is, in height and girth. Even when dressed, Rosa is always following me around making adjustments. I learned later that if your light-colored anako is showing at your ankles, it means that you are seeking a boyfriend (if single) or a lover (if married). No wonder Rosa is always so particular about my anakos; she is defending my honor!

For the men and boys, the process of getting dressed is much simpler: white pants, white button shirts, black hats, blue wool ponchos, and white canvas espadrille shoes. The color of the poncho varies from community to community. It was once dictated by the Spanish hacienda with which the community was affiliated. Many Kichwa people today view this as a source of pride and their ability to survive and overcome, thus the poncho colors persist.

Craig knew that we would be walking around in the hot sun, so he didn't wear the heavy blue woolen poncho today.

As we waited for a camioneta to take us to town, we noticed Abuelita on a steep hillside below us. Uncharacteristically, she was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt over her traditional attire due to the coldness of the nights. She was barefoot and using a hoe to cultivate the hillside. With the black hood over her head, she called to mind the grim reaper.

The collectivo took all of us (minus Rolando, who had class today) to Cotacachi. This town is known for its leather artisans, and we went shopping on "Leather Street" (Calle de Cuero) where you can find great bargains on beautiful leather items. Paulina bought some gifts for the family back at home, and I couldn't resist buying a pocketbook which incorporated embroidery as well as leather.

After we finished shopping, we took a bus to the outskirts of Otavalo. We crossed a footbridge over the highway and walked along some train tracks. We saw some very elaborate and colorful graffiti art depicting traditional culture. It was a fascinating juxtaposition of ancient and modern, all with a beautiful backdrop of lush volcanic landscape. We bought two pints of mora (blackberries) from a local selling them out of the trunk of his car.

We arrived at Taller de Instrumentos Andinos Ñanda Ma˜nachi, a workshop which specializes in Andean musical instruments dating from pre-Columbian times to the present. We had visited this workshop on our first visit to the area back in 2010.

A member of the family which runs this workshop was putting the finishing touches on a reed pan flute. He played it, along with several other reed instruments. Of course one of his songs of choice was the ubiquitous "El Condor Pasa." He demonstrated rain sticks (we couldn't resist buying a small one) and a large instrument which called to mind an alpine horn, used to communicate over long distances.

He demonstrated a charango, a small 10-stringed guitar-like instrument whose body was traditionally made from an armadillo shell, but is now made of wood. Antonio has one of these, and not only do they produce a very rich, full sound that falls somewhere between that of a 12-string acoustic guitar and a mandolin, but it is an exquisite work of craftsmanship.

Finally, he demonstrated the ocarina, a type of clay flute which dates back to pre-Columbian times. Coincidentally, the song that he played on this instrument was "Happy Birthday to You." Today was Aracely's birhday back in Guatemala. We were sad to miss it, and we were thinking about her today, so I recorded the song and sent it to her as a long-distance dedication. Paulina bought Eddy an ocarina, which has a much more laid-back sound than his sometimes shrill slide whistle.

Next we went to a gallery (Artesania El Gran Condor) where they presented a spinning and weaving demonstration. A woman showed how they comb sheep's wool (and also alpaca) between two cards with spines on them. It makes the wool softer and they spin it into thread.

They dye the thread using natural materials including minerals, plants, and walnuts. She picked a small insect off of a prickly pear cactus. This bug is called cochineel, and when crushed, a blood red dye is produced. She demonstrated that the addition of lemon makes it turn orange, and then the addition of lime powder makes it turn purple.

She demonstrated weaving on a backstrap loom, which was familiar to Paulina and Eddy, as the Mayans use a similar technique in Guatemala. They also had a pedal loom, which is traditionally operated by men. It was a lovely demonstration and we bought several souvenirs, including an Inti Raymi mask and a doll for Craig's mom.

Outside, there was an ice cream truck in front of the church. The kids each got a cone before the next leg of our journey.

We then took a short bus ride to Cascada de Peguche (Peguche Falls), a waterfall sacred to the indigenous people of the area. This 50-foot high waterfall is a sacred historic site, where the Incas used to perform ceremonial bathing rituals before the Inti Raymi (solstice) festival. As we entered, we met a man named Ayub from Kenya and chatted with him about his country. We had visited there in 2006. He good-naturedly quizzed us on our Swahili vocabulary, and we found that we still remembered a few words.

The waterfall is on the grounds of a former obraje (colonial weaving factory). We walked through a forest of tall eucalyptus trees and took photos in front of the picturesque falls. Unlike on previous visits, it wasn't very crowded today. This allowed us to clamber up some rocks and pose for some nice photos with a perfect angle of the falls as a backdrop.

We walked up a steep set of steps to get to the small caves which pop out at the top of the waterfall. The kids had a great time pretending that they were searching for El Dorado in the caves. The caves are quite claustrophobic, and grande Americans need to double over to fit through. Though the distance is short, the passageway has a turn in it, so for a brief instant you are in the pitch black. At times I have felt a momentary rush of panic while in there, feeling like I am too large and will get stuck in the humid oppressive darkness. Luckily, the light returns quickly and the cave soon opens up. You emerge on an outcropping that gives you a unique perspective on the falls.

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Sisa and Paulina dipped their feet in the water before we descended the staircase and followed a trail which led us past a restaurant. Locals were very amused and pleased to see gringos dressed in traditional Otavalan attire. Craig wished the folks eating in the restaurant a good meal ("buen provecho") and they complimented his hat. He took his hat off and said that he needed it to protect his bald head from the sun, and they all got a big kick out of that and roared with good natured laughter.

We passed some llamas on the trail, and then noticed a stone which was painted in bright yellow and red, which said "Nina Sisa." In Kichwa, this means "fire and flowers." Since it was a reference to Sisa's namesake, I wanted to photograph Sisa with it. She didn't really understand what the big deal was, but she is used to Achi Mam photographing pretty much everything, so she dutifully sat next to it when I asked her to. Shina realized that I was taking a photo, and she wanted to be in it as well. So she plopped down right onto the stone as I snapped the photo, totally obscuring the text that inspired the photo to begin with. We all got a good laugh out of that, and we coaxed her to move off of the rock and next to Sisa so that I could get the shot.

It was hot and we were all getting tired. We crossed the swinging cable bridge to the other side of the river and then walked uphill to return to the entrance.

We took a bus back to Otavalo, where we met up with Rolando for lunch at Pizza Siciliana. It is the oldest pizza restaurant in town, and we really enjoyed it last year with Vanesa and Aracely. Pizza is always a treat for the Guatemalan kids, and Craig and I rarely get it at home, so it is a treat for us too. We don't really know how much the Ecuadorians like it, but they politely eat it on the rare occasion that we go. We ordered 3 "super gigante" pizzas: 2 mixto and 1 Hawaiian (their take on Hawaiian is pineapple, ham, and peach, which is unexpected yet quite delicious). Paulina and Eddy found it odd that the pizza was served with fresh parmesan cheese and parsley, but none of the condiments prevalent in Guatemala (ketchup, mayonnaise, etc.)

Paulina and Craig had Pilsener beer, and the rest of us had Fanta and Coke. We ate to bursting (and with my waist cinched tight by my mama chumbi woven belt keeping my wrap-around skirt anakos in place, this was quite a feat). The proprietor of the pizzeria is a lovely woman, and we enjoyed chatting with her.

Next we walked to Plaza de los Ponchos and walked around the market. Paulina bought an alpaca wool zippered sweater for Ian. We bought some groceries in a supermarket, and then took a bus to Quiroga and transferred to a collective pick up truck to get back home.

It was a great day, and we loved seeing people's reactions to Craig and myself dressed like the locals. We received many compliments. Some people would do a double-take and then whisper to one another. We would greet them and they would get a big smile.

We didn't need dinner after a late lunch of pizza, and Craig and I were both tired and achy from a day of walking, so we decided to go to bed early.

Calle 10 de Agosto (Leather Street) Cotacachi

Peguche Falls

Plaza de los Ponchos, Otavalo