matrimonio indígena

This weekend one of the secretaries where Alvaro works at the Ministry of Education got married! I had only met her once, but she was very friendly and invited several others from work to attend her wedding. She's Quechua and her family lives in an indigenous community just outside of Otovalo- about 2 hours north of Quito. Alvaro and I met up with his lovely boss Amparo and took a bus to get there together.

Priscila is on the left, her groom next to her and then her parents and family

First, we stopped in Cotacachi to visit some friends of Amparo's from when she worked there as part of a project about community tourism. We had breakfast with them and Amparo dropped off a few gifts before we grabbed another bus to get to the wedding. The whole time Alvaro and Amparo were joking about how Priscila (secretary/bride to be) was going to be so surprised to see them there- she had invited them, but never told them where the wedding was going to be! It was all pure luck that we even made it at all- we ran into another friend at the bus station riiiight before leaving who explained how to get to her family's house- otherwise, we would have been totally lost.

Cotacahi- close to Otavalo, known for its artesanal leather projects

Although we left later than planned every stop along the way, we got to the bride's house before she did. I can't speak enough about how hospitable the entire community was- we took a seat to wait for her, and were immediately offered hot soup! No one asked us how we knew the wedding party, they just brought over food. People were very nice.

beautiful setting- we walked across this fiels to get to the ceremonial place

waiting for the bride and groom to arrive

When Prisci and her now-husband arrived, the entire group headed across this plot of land for the indigenous ceremony. Someone spoke in Kichwa and explained the ceremony (I didn't understand anything) and then they started cleansing each other with a mixture of water with rose petals and ortiga- stinging nettles! I guess it exemplifies that not everything is sweet. They poured this mixture in their hair, on their faces, on their feet, etc. Family members (parents, grandparents, etc.) and the bride and groom participated.

Bowl of water with rose petals and stinging nettles
cleansing each other

The best part was that after each pair had been cleansed, they tossed the water out into the surrounding crowd, getting most of the guests wet! The whole thing was very informal- we were all gathered above this mini cave/empty pool-like area, and people were taking pictures, drinking, sleeping, talking amongst themselves, and even buying snow cones from someone who set up post there!

informal vendors are everywhere- parades, weddings- no venue is inappropriate!
the weather was really nice- so why not take a siesta while the bride and groom do their thing?
or you could just go for a quick walk like this adorable little girl dressed up in traditional clothing

We headed back to Prisci's family's place where big tents had been set up with and a discomovil- a DJ- was playing music. Next, the couple and their families came in dancing in a big circle. People began to present the couple with their wedding gifts, and they would dance with the gift in a big circle around the couple! They got lots of kitchen things, but not things like blenders and wine bottle openers- they got enormous pots, handmade baskets, and a tank of gas! (The gas tank was danced around the couple, much to my constant fear that it was going to hit the person behind it in the head.) There was a HUUUUGE box presented, but it wasn't opened- but it looked like a washing machine or a refrigerator or maybe a stove or oven.

guests waiting for the bride and groom to arrive under one of the tents
dancing with the gifts- notice the big pot and yellow gas tank

Then came more food! Another soup, a serving of potatoes, corn, and beans and then a plate with meat, potatoes, salad, and mote- boiled corn. Keep in mind that we're all sitting in several makeshift tents in the family's backyard in plastic chairs, and there are no tables. We got the soups in these typical Ecuadorian "take-out" style plastic bowls, and then ate the potatoes and corn in there too. Two women came around with literally a bedsheet folded up FILLED with the corn/mini-potato/bean mixture and scooped it into our soup bowls, and then a man who could only be described as extremely jolly came around and handed out the plates with the meat, etc. The whole time people were drinking literally VATS of soda (orange soda is the most popular), beer and fruity wines from boxes. Given the amount of people and food to be served, this whole process took a while, and it was getting late for us to be able to catch a bus back to Quito, so we had to leave before the cake was served.

potato/corn/bean mixture being served from the sheet into the grey "take-out" style bowl on the right

The whole thing was a really cool experience for me, and I'm glad everyone was so welcoming. It was interesting to see the mix of indigenous and Catholic Ecuadorian traditions, and to compare it to most weddings I've seen- this was definitely the most casual and the least ritualized. The important thing was that everyone was there to celebrate with the families- it didn't matter if you brought a gift, or paid attention, or read a passage- the important thing was to share a meal together, dance a little, etc. Next step: attend a non-indigenous wedding in Ecuador!