Annalise and our visit to the city of Saraguro

After we said good-bye to Grandpa and Grandma in Loja and they travelled to Quito, we took a bus to the city of Saraguro, the cultural center of the indigenous Saraguro people.   When we first arrived in Ecuador, we saw traditional dressed Saraguro people mostly selling produce and fruit on the street.   The Saraguro people present a very different picture in rural Ecuador.    The southern most province,  Zamora-Chinchipe, is known for its politically active indigenous population.   In the small city of Saraguro, it was heartening to see the Saraguro people achieve self determination where their culture seems to be thriving.   Emmett and I went to the local stadium to see two Saraguro men's teams play and the stadium was filled with traditionally dressed Saraguros.    All four of us went to a Saraguro restaurant where we ate cuy (Guinea pig), which is a popular dish in Ecuador.    This was a first for Kate, Annalise and me, but Emmett previously had eaten cooked cuy at a neighbor's house in Guadalupe.   The cuy tasted good and Kate said it reminded her of chicken thighs.    Emmett seems to be our cultural ambassador, as he seems the most adept at making friends who show him the local customs.

Annalise and some friends playing jumprope with a vine at a local soccer game

Annalise sharpening her pencil at school using the designated pencil sharpener (box cutter blade)

Annalise wearing her new Saraguro outfit which she can wear on festival/cultural days at school

We bought the outfit in the town of Saraguro

The Catholic Church in Saraguro

Annalise's classmates often braid her hair

Saraguro women always wear a beaded "collar" (necklace) with their traditional oufits