Showing posts with label Colombia; Ecuador; Peru; poverty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Colombia; Ecuador; Peru; poverty. Show all posts

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Ecuador Book in Progress

While living in Colombia for a number of years, I self-published nine photo books on that country. Now I’m working on a photo book on Ecuador.
  
Colombia is one of the most stunningly beautiful and varied countries in the world, and I explored that country’s every wild corner. But to do that you need much off-road travel and time.
 
Ecuador is much smaller and not as varied, but has over Colombia the advantage that its own beautiful sites are all easily accessible. From Quito, the Spanish colonial capital and Unesco World Cultural Heritage Site, you can drive to snowcapped Andean Mountains, Pacific Ocean beaches, the Amazon rain forest, and Indian villages and markets within a few hours. That explains why I like to teach photographic seminars and safaris in that country.
 
 I will dedicate my next few posts to give an idea of that wonderful country, starting today with photographs of the Otavalo Indians, who live in and around the towns of Otavalo and Cotacachi, a two-hour drive north of Quito.






A few decades ago, many Otavalo Indians were still attached to sprawling lands of haciendas as serfs. Or they drudged under hard masters, weaving from dawn to dusk in sweat shops, as their forebears had done since Spanish colonial times. They had been renowned weavers since before Inca times.

Today the Otavalo Indians are free, and their tradition of hard work and cooperation, their weaving skills, and their business acumen, have turned them into Ecuador’s most prosperous Indians. Those of my pictures that show them walking barefoot date from before that recent prosperity. Their textile market has long been world famous, attracting throngs of international tourists. Some of the more enterprising Otavalo Indians are now selling their textiles and gripping Andean music overseas. I have seen them in New York, Dusseldorf, and Paris.















The Otavalo raise sheep, and their textiles used to be made exclusively from the wool of their herds. But as sales exploded, and there was no longer enough wool around to satisfy the demand, the weavers also started using artificial fibers.





Living on rich volcanic soil, the Otavalo were always farmers too. But their focus is now mainly on exploiting tourism in every possible way. With hand-woven and knit textiles, handicraft, music, and even with food and beds, all in lovely surroundings. Under no pressure to change their ways, as other Indians are, Otavalo Indians have proudly retained their way of dressing, even when overseas.








Domestic chores still take much of the women’s time.












The Otavalo are devout Catholic, who lose no opportunity to celebrate Catholic festive days besides several Saints’ days.







 

Thursday, April 28, 2011

A Fleeting Moment

     In 1971, I spent seven months traveling around Latin America, from Mexico
to Argentina and Brazil. At some point, pressed among a crowd of Indians at
the back of a dilapidated bus, my itinerary was taking me from Ayacucho to
Cuzco, in the Peruvian Andes. Holes and stones in the unpaved road shook
the bus in a cloud of dust, and a pot flew off the roof.  The driver stopped, and
a passenger ran to pick up the pot.

      Less than a minute earlier, I caught sight of a little girl sitting by herself along
the road, and could have cried with frustration for being unable to photograph her.
The flying pot was a miracle. The bus’s central aisle was crowded with people sitting
on bundles, but I scrambled over them toward the door, just as the passenger was
returning with the pot.

     “Where are you going?” the driver shouted."
     “To urinate,” I lied, almost unconsciously.

And I ran with a Leica in hand.

     “This is not the moment!” the driver yelled.
     “But what the devil are you doing? Come back!
     “…All right. Stay here and wait for tomorrow’s bus.”

And having said that, he pulled off.

     My luggage and most of my film was on that bus, but I refused to worry
about them just then. I shot three quick pictures, gave the little girl a bag of avocado
pears I carried in my camera bag, and ran back. The bus was far already,
but not going very fast, and I was a runner. Even so, my heart was in my
mouth by the time I got back on board.

     The driver shrank in his seat, but the Indians applauded. For a moment I stared at the driver wondering what to tell him. But I kept my mouth shut and went back to my seat.  It had occurred to me that for a small tip this man would have given me all the time I needed. That lesson would serve me well on future occasions


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Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Children of South America

I just uploaded 200 pictures of South American children into six galleries. The first three galleries have the best pictures.
Whether the kids are dirty or clean, you will wish that you could hug them. They will melt your heart. To view them, go to http://pa.photoshelter.com/c/victorenglebert, click on galleries, then on Collections, and finally on Children of South America.
Because the Peru and Colombia galleries have more than 50 pictures, the rest of them are hiding on a second page. Just click on the button at the bottom of the page to see it.
Anyway, hereafter are some sample pictures to titillate your interest.

Other website: http://Victorenglebert.com