Two hours north of Quito Ecuador, nestled in a green valley surrounded by high Andean peaks is the colorful town of Otavalo. This area may have become another region known as the Switzerland of Ecuador, were it not for the highly talented indigenous population who have discovered a way to create a modern business while preserving their cultural heritage: these people and their culture give the Valley of Otavalo its unique flavor.
The people of Otavalo were known to both the Spanish and the Incas before them as the most talented weavers in the kingdom. On Saturdays people from all over the region came to Otavalo to buy or trade what they needed, exchanging a llama for new clothes for the family or a basket full of tropical fruits for a new chair.
During the colonization of Ecuador, the Otavalo Valley and its people were incorporated into the Treasury System. The King of Spain transferred extensive lands to the most important families in the county. The indigenous people were allowed to remain on the land under the protection of the local hacienda owner and were provided with food and clothing in exchange for working the land and producing handicrafts. Life during this time was not easy as many of the hacienda owners were cruel and the local inhabitants were treated like slaves.
The Otavaleños are a proud people who continued with their rituals and passed them down from generation to generation, some of which merged and mixed with the traditions learned from the Spanish, but always maintained their uniqueness. The Otavalonos are very distinctive, many still speak Quecha and dress in their traditional clothing. The men can be identified by their white calf-length pants, blue ponchos, and have long pigtails and fedoras. The women wear long layered skirts, white cotton blouses embellished with ornate embroidery, rows of beaded necklaces and bracelets, a variety of hats, and woven cloth tied over the shoulders to carry babies or other items.
Over the centuries, these local people and their traditions have not changed. However, during the agrarian reforms of the 1960s and 1970s, the wealthy hacienda saw its land divided, large estates with thousands of workers disappeared. The government granted smaller farms to the Indians. After years of hard work, the local people had their own farms and villages and a new era began.
However, as many of the world’s cultures began to fade and those unique cultural identities seemed to coalesce into an everyday world of Levis and Nikes, the astute people of Otavalo discovered a way their culture would survive and could be passed down for generations. future. They didn’t change; instead, they opened their market and workshops to tourists seeking their own National Geographic-like vacation experience.
Instead of resorting to modern machinery where most items are produced in a matter of seconds or minutes, the path of the Otavaleños continued an ancient practice in which a single fabric can take weeks. The process begins with the creation of the yarn, weaving it into the selected shade, and then hand weaving one color at a time to create the perfect poncho. Visitors are welcomed into the dirt-floored workshops to gaze in awe as master weavers create works of art.
Towns in the surrounding valley with similar practices opened their workshops so the public could watch artisans produce everything from musical instruments to wood carvings, leather goods and felt hats. Las Haciendas also opened its doors as a luxury hotel option for visitors who want to explore this unique area and the customs of a bygone era.
Handicrafts from Otavalo and nearby towns are available at local workshops, as well as at the daily Otavalo Market. Saturdays are the biggest day and first thing in the morning you will be surrounded by local people many dressed in their traditional attire, the cackling of the chickens, the chatter of the guinea pigs and the squeals of the pigs from the cattle market. To see this part of the market, you need to get there early because at 7 a.m. gold from the popular craft market.
Combining a visit to the Otavalo market, local artisan towns with a stay at a historic hacienda is one of the most popular and rewarding cultural experiences for those visiting Ecuador or the Galapagos Islands.
