Naomi Gabriela Schwartz

Otavalo, Ecuador: a Contemporary Journey Through History and Narrative Naomi Gabriela Schwartz

This book weaves together a multitude of themes such as the history of Indigenous settlement in Otavalo, the collapse of the Inca Empire, historical and contemporary traditional spheres of knowledge, the hacienda system, a general history of the railroad, agrarian reform, migration, and agriculture. The factors of culture change and global migration connect to the majority of the following research topics, i. e. changes in culture and ritual over a sixty year period, life histories and personal experience, changes in gender relationships within families due to global migration, as reflected in the changes in the roles men and women play in the festival of Inti Raimi, and changes in the physical and spiritual structure of the town of Otavalo. Most importantly the author reflects the voices of her compadres. They are the living historical voices of those affected by rapid culture change and global migration. This type of research has particular significance to Otavaleños and is crucial for the creation of strategies for the promotion and maintenance of heritage languages and cultures, both in Latin America and in the U. S.