Yatzaputzan: Our First Encounter with Indigenous Ecuadorians
FYI: Given the unreliable internet situation, Lila and I have decided to split up blogging responsibilities so that our entries do not overlap. To read about our experience in its entirety, visit ecuador.blogs.rice.edu. Thanks for reading!
On Friday, a long and winding mountain road led us to Yatzaputzan, an indigenous community located about 2 hours from Quito and 12,000 feet high in the Andes Mountains. We were greeted by a breathtaking view of an endless expanse of green hills, crisp mountain air, a bout of altitude sickness, and the indigenous men and women of the community. We were given a tour of the clinic there, which was very different than the clinic in Guayaquil in that it was in a newly constructed building. Though this clinic was still partially under construction, we could tell that it was much larger than the other, having more amenities, rooms and space. The Yatzaputzan clinic is definitely a modern, affordable and trustworthy resource for the people in the surrounding communities.
The waiting room at the clinic
The other reason for our visit was to attend a ceremony for the welcoming of the new officers of the Women´s Cooperative. The Woman´s Cooperative is a partnership between Fundacion Futuro and the women of the community of Yatzaputzan and of the surrounding area. In 2008, the Fundacion began the Cooperative by giving the women of the community the seed money to start a small business, which could be something as small as owning a cow. Then once their businesses started growing, the women of the communities were able to lend money to each other to aid in the growth and maintenance of their businesses.
Marisol's amazing dance moves