Last weekend we had the opportunity to visit the Laguna de Cuicocha in Cotacachi province. After a nice drive through the mountains we arrived to find a stunning view of the lake, located in the crater of an active volcano. The name Cuicocha comes from the Quichua words cocha, meaning lake, and cuy (cui), meaning guinea pig. Like Ecuador as a whole, Cuicocha is home to a wide array of biodiversity, including mountain guinea pigs. Cuy are a local delicacy here, eaten during festivals and on special occasions. I hope to have the chance to try some before the summer is over!
Of Ecuador's seventeen indigenous groups, the Quichua are the largest nacionalidad. Nacionalidades are language-based (Quichua was the official Incan language), but are then further divided into culturally-based pueblos. Around 25% of Ecuador's 12.5 million population are indigenous, although only 7.5% self-identified as indigenous in the last census. Data from the 2010 census has yet to be released, but it will be interesting to see if self-identification increases among indigenous populations, as indigenous groups have gained significant political and social standing over the past decade.
The legend of Cuicocha lake is that every time a virgin was sacrificed, guinea pigs would be sent to the middle of the islands in the crater lake. The spirit of these martyrs continues today within these rodents. Therefore, if you choose to eat a cuy(guinea pig),don't eat the ones from Cuicocha lake!
ReplyDeleteWhoa, sweet picture. And fancy blog, too, all the straight lines and academic-ish titles make it look super professional. Good work!
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