Diario las Américas., 1958-03-01
Know thv
Nei9hbotI
BY ANTONIO RUIZ

ECUADOR - One of the most
interesting sights in Ecuador is
the picturesque fair of Otavalo,
which begins about $50 every Sat
urday morning 1t is famous not
only for the handwoven woolenS
sold there but also because it is the
meeting place Of the pureSt des-
pendants of the pre-colOnial in
habitants of the region. The trip
itself is worth taking, for the beau
tiful scenery to be seen on the
way.
About ten miles from Quito, the
Equator Line is crossed. The gran
tie monument which marks it was
erected in 1924 to commemorate
a survey made by a French Scienti-
fic expedition to measure the arc
of the meridian. Many tourists
like to have their pictures taken
with one foot on the Northern
Hemisphere and the other on the
Southern. From the monument, the
road passes through fertile, then
arid, sections, and crosses the Gui-
llabamOa River,
At Cayembe nestled at the base
of the volcano from which it takes
its name, the road begins to rise.
From then on, it travels up and
down mountains and across steep
gorges until finally, after passing
the crest of a pass, one can see on
the other side the Valley of Ottawa
10 thanked by lmbabura and Co.
tacachi volcanoes. At the base of
Imbabura, Lake San Pablo mir
rorS the lofty peaks. Long before
Otavalo was settled by the con-
quering Spaniards, the Indians
brought their products to market
in the valley, where they would
trade them for products brought
by other Indians from as far as the
Amazon.
Descendants of the Caras, the
OtavaloS are a short, stocky peo-
pie known for their cleanliness,
Intelligence and resource
fulnesS. Unlike most other Indian
tribes, they have been able to pur-
chase small farms with the profits
from the sale OF their textile and
farm products. Primarily farmers,
they are also skii,ed weavers, using
wool of the sheep they raise in
the highlands for weaving wooden
cloths. Their poDchos, shawls and
blankets are fine and durable, and
have great demand among tourists
and residents alike.
Early in the morning on fair
day, just as the sun is rising, the
Indians come down from the
mountains to bring their wares to
market. Some walk, some ride their
donkeys and some come guiding
their livestock down the steep cob
bled street leading to the market
place. Most of the women carry a
distaff for wool under their arms
and spin thread while they trot
alongside their husbands. The
bright red. blue and purple colors
of the mems ponchos, mingling
with the no less colorful embroid-
cred blouses and skirts of the won.
en-, give a kaleidoscope effect to
the moving thrOng. Both men and
women wear hats of stiff, heavy
felt which they prize very highly.
The central market square is
filled with stalls where the native
produce is neatly displayed. In one
row there are ponchos, shawlS, and
wooden materials resembling Eng
fish tweeds; in another row, cotton
homespuns and hats made by the
Indians living near Lake San Pa
bio. Also pottery. rope made from
the fiber of "cabuya" cactus, and
still farther along one may find
herbs and other products believed
by the Indians to have curative
powers.
In the row reserved for vegeta-
bles and grains, the policeman
whose duty is to check the weights,
presides over the scales. BY seven
o'clock most of the better quality
produces have been sold, and by
noon the market place is almost
deserted. On the way back to Qui-
to, the Indians are seeing straggl.
ing home, weary from dancing and
singing after tine fair, some times
of the fiery "aguardiente" "a
stopping to sleep off the effects
rum made of sugar cane), while
their faithful wives stand watch.
Spanish Version Page 3