Cultural Identity of Ecuador

Cacao Tradition 

For many years, Ecuador has been recognized as the largest fine cacao producer. Currently, Ecuador supplies more than 60% of the world cocoa production. Cocoa is the raw material that is required for fine chocolate production. Ecuador cocoa’s name is Arriba or Nacional, because it is just grown in Ecuador. Also, Ecuador offers a Tourist Cocoa Route, where visitor can witness the manual tasks that are performed to achieve the best quality product. 

Art and crafts 

Panama Hats 

The special straw from which these hats are made, the toquilla palm leaf, only grows in the warm lowlands of the Ecuadorian coast, 100 to 400 meters above sea level. President Theodore Roosevelt increased popularity of hat, when visited the Panama Canal construction , and was photographed wearing one of these straw hats.

Guayasamin 

Oswaldo Guayasamin was an Ecuadorian master painter with the expressionism art movement. The artist focused especially on portraying the oppression, poverty, political. The main works was Huacayñán, it is an indigenous Quechua word which roughly translates to “trail of tears” and is used to describe a situation in which two people part knowing that they will never return to see each other again. He portrayed existentialist themes like the tragedy of life and human suffering.

Custom and tradition

Old Year The “Año Viejo” tradition can translate to“Old Year” and it's a stranger/fun tradition. People make papers dolls about celebrities or politicians. At midnight everyone brings out their paper dolls, make a large pile and burns them to represent burning the old year. 

Gastronomy 

Encebollado 

Encebollado is a fish soup from Ecuador. Although this dish is known in all Ecuador, it is more popular in the coast of the country. t is served with boiled cassava and pickled red onion rings. A dressing of onion is prepared with fresh tomato and spices such as pepper or coriander leaves. Biodiversity We are lucky to have three diferents regions such as Pacific Ocean, the Andes Mountain and Amazonic Forest, plus the historic and wildlife-rich Galapagos islands.