We were lucky to have a full docket of visitors during the month of March! Dillon, Jonah, Brynna, Zulay (center), Ella & Joni After our visit to Chugchilán, we spent five days in early March with my dear friend, Alana, and her family in Otavalo, a small indigenous city two hours north of Quito. We stayed together at the home of a lovely Otavaleña woman named Zulay, who was a kind and generous hostess. Despite the ways in which Airbnb creates challenges in communities -- most notably by diverting housing that would otherwise by available for local people-- it can offer unique opportunities for connection. This was definitely one of those times. The Otavaleño people of the northern highlands of Ecuador are considered one of the world's most successful and prosperous contemporary indigenous communities in the world. They have been farmers and weavers since pre-Incan times. Their textile industry flourished even during Spanish colonialism, and, despite modern challenges that...
