Ecuador
Ecuador's pre-Columbian peoples excelled in pottery, painting, sculpture,
and gold and silver work. The Spaniards trained indigenous artists to
produce colonial religious art, which can be seen in many churches and
museums. The Quito School of the 17th and 18th centuries combined these
two influences but was replaced by formalism after independence, which
favored subjects such as heroes of the revolution and members of high
society.
Ecuador's colonial religious architecture is predominantly baroque, although
domestic architecture tends to be simple and elegant, comprising whitewashed
verandahed houses built around a central courtyard. Traditional Andean
music has a distinctive haunting quality based on an unusual pentatonic
scale. Wind and percussion instruments, including bamboo panpipes and
flutes, are staples of the sound. Local crafts include fine examples of
basketry, leather work, woodcarving, weaving, ceramics and jewelry.
The predominant religion is Roman Catholic, but there is a scattering
of other Christian faiths. Indigenous Ecuadorians, while outwardly Catholic,
tend to blend Catholicism with their traditional beliefs. Spanish is the
main language, although most highland Indians are bilingual, with Quechua
being their preferred language and Spanish their second tongue. Several
small lowland groups speak their own languages. English is understood
in the best hotels and in airline offices and travel agencies, but it's
of little use elsewhere.
Ecuadorian food consists mainly of soup and stews, corn pancakes, rice,
eggs and vegetables. Seafood is particularly good, even in the highlands.
Local specialties include caldo de pates, a soup made from cattle hooves;
cuy, whole roasted guinea pig; and lechón, suckling pig.
*The above information was obtained from
www.lonelyplanet.com and Youth International
wants to acknowlege all due credit to the source of the information.
