Ecuador

Alicia Hines Spanish 11/28/11

•Name: Ecuador•Capital: Quito •Located in South America, on the equator;

from which it gets its name.

Landscape/Terrain• Ecuador is 109,483 square miles.

• La Costa(costal lowlands)- rich agricultural lands.

• La Sierra(Andean highlands)- snowcapped mountains.

• El Oriente(eastern lowlands)- tropical rain forest.

• Archipielago de Colon( Galapagos Islands)- islands in the pacific.

History

• Ecuador’s first inhabitants were conquered in the late 1400s by Incans.

• The Incans ruled until Spanish conqured in 1534 and enslaved the people.

• Eventually, independence was gained in 1822 and Ecuador was declared a Republic in 1830.

Religion

• Though there is religious freedom, 95% of Ecuadorians belong to the Catholic Church.

The first catholic church in Ecuador.

Dress

• People in urban areas have a standard, western-style dress. Older women tend to wear skirts, whereas younger women wear pants. Men wear pants as well.

• People in rural areas dress traditionally. Women wear hats made of straw, wool, or leather depending upon their whereabouts.

• Costenos(costal inhabitants) wear bright colors such as white, red and yellow.

• Serranos wear blues, browns, and blacks.

• When there’s a celebration to attend Ecuadorians usually buy or make a new outfit.

Customs/Traditions

• In urban areas the customs are similar to ours, here in the United States.

• In rural areas the customs are traditional and traditions vary depending upon specific indigenous group.

• For example, if someone visits unannounced, rural Ecuadorians must feed the visitors and if they decline it is thought to be rude.

• Gestures, words, slang: the primary language of Ecuador is Spanish. Gestures are similar to those in the U.S. . A circle is drawn in the air meaning “I’ll be right back.”

Typical Food•To us Americans, Ecuadorian food is almost

equivalent to Mexican food.•Meats:

▫Pork▫Chicken ▫Cuy (guinea pig)

•Starches ▫Rice ▫Corn▫Potatoes

Family

• Families are “close-knit”. Several generations may live under one roof.

• In urban families, more women work outside of the home and men share the household duties.

• In the past, children would live with their parents until married, but today they usually leave for education or work.

• Urban families average about 2 children per household whereas rual families average 3 children or more.

• Mothers are highly respected in Ecuador. They are considered the emotional center of the family and the primary guardian. They are also honored through song and monuments.

Housing• Style and quality varies by region.

• Housing in La Costa (coastal lands) tends to be basic and does not consist of the lavish Spanish architectural styles that are typical in the housing in the Sierra region.

• Costal: houses are usually square, small, single storey, large roofed, enclosed with low walls. The yard is used for gardening as well as other household duties such as washing.

• El Oriente(eastern lowlands), rain forest: houses have a palm or wooden frame and roof therefore leading to little privacy and not much protection.

Dating/Marriage• Dating begins in groups.

• When a girl is asked on a date she must ask her parents’ approval. In more conservative areas the boy must personally ask of her parents’ approval.

• Women usually marry by the age of 23 (younger in rural areas) and men typically marry by the age of 25.

• Education is usually completed before marrying.

• Couples don’t live together until their church wedding, even if they’re legally married.

• Common-law marriage(estilo manabita) is common and is accepted as a legal marriage in rual areas.

Holidays, Festivals, Celebrations…

• New Years- New Years Eve: images representing things they don’t to reoccur I the new year are burned in the streets.

• Carnaval- February or March: dousing of water on one another, a weekend festival of dances, festivals, parties, parades.

• Easter

• Labor Day- May 1

• Battle of Pinchinch- May 24: marks the liberation day of Ecuador.

• Inti Raymi-June: festival of the Sun, held at the Incan ruins near Cuena.

• Independence of Quito Day- Aug. 10: remembrance

• of the first efforts to gain independence in 1809.

• Independence of Guayaquil- Oct. 9

• All Souls’ Day- Nov. 2: visit cemeteries, eat cat bread and dough dolls, and drink Colada Morada (a berry smoothie).

• Each city celebrates the founding of Quito on Dec. 6, bullfights.

• Religious holidays are celebrated with reenactments.

Government • Executive branch has a President and Vice President.

• Unicameral Legislature has 100 members elected by provinces.

• Elections are held ever 4 years.

• All literate citizens between the ages of 18 and 65 are required to vote by law; for others it is an option.

Economy• Currency: U.S. dollars

• One-third of the population is employed in agriculture.

• Nearly half of government money goes debt.

• Over half of the population lives in poverty

• Causes of economic crisis: ▫ Natural disasters ▫ Low price for bananas and oils▫ Problems in banking▫ Foreign deficits

Transportation

• Buses

• Taxis

• Colectivos (minibuses)

• Only ½ of roads connecting cities are paved.

• Air travel is increasing today.

Education•Children start attending school at the age of six

and must complete 6 years of mandatory school.

•School at 7:00 a.m. and ends at 12:30 p.m. or from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

•Uniforms are worn.

•60-70% of school aged children complete their primary education. This percentage is lower in rual areas.

Climate/Weather • The climate varies with elevation rather than

seasons.

• It’s usually rainy around Nov.-May and dry June-Sept.

• Quito has an average of 71 degrees all year.

• The Galapagos Islands average 76 degrees.

• Low lands tend to be hot and humid.