Quechua: a Journey to Ecuador among the Guardian People of the Andes

In the Andes live native populations who are in these mountains from much before the Spanish colonizers. These peoples have a common language, Quechua, a legacy of the Inca Empire, from which they take their name. The Quechua were the most important and numerous ethnic group in the empire, with their language becoming its official language. They were famous for working with metal and textiles and for their knowledge of medicinal plants. Their economy was based on agriculture and breeding, particularly llamas and alpacas.
These populations have lived for centuries on these mountains, considered sacred, mainly between Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. Quechua is spoken between 1 and 2 million people in Ecuador with the largest concentration in the Chimborazo area, and about half of the country’s population is of Quechua origin.
From Otavalo and Cotacachi, through Quito to Cañar and Cuenca, through mountains and volcanoes such as Cotopaxi, Chimborazo and Tungurahua, the culture and tradition of the heirs of the Inca Empire have remained intact for centuries, although they are increasingly at risk. Today, not all mountain natives use Quechua as their mother tongue. They believe in Pachamama, the mother earth, and try to live in symbiosis with her. Propitiatory rites for the mother earth are an integral part of their culture, as well as shamanic ceremonies, in which the San Pedro cactus, or Wachuma, is mainly used. Since colonial times many Quechua people have converted to Christianity, while maintaining the close connection with the Pachamama and ancient traditions. These traditional beliefs still exist in many areas of the Ecuadorian Andes, and are often mixed with Christian beliefs that have been established in the local religion. But there are still rites for the Pachamama or for the Apu, the spirits of the mountain. The Quechua are an integral part of Ecuador, a multi-national country with many indigenous ethnic groups. They have lived in the mountains for centuries and are guardians of them. They protect the environment and fight for it against those who want to appropriate the natural riches of the Andes and against those who have tried for centuries to destroy their culture, failing. Their presence is therefore fundamental for the protection and custody of these imposing mountains and considered sacred by those who have lived there for centuries