Diego Garcia stands guard over tagua seeds drying outside an artisan's workshop in Las Tolas, Ecuador.
Las Tolas is a town of about 300 in Ecuador’s cloud forest, about 90 kilometres (55 miles) northwest of Quito. Matthew Ginn spent the better part of two months in Las Tolas in 2005.
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- Las Tolas is a town of about 300 people in Ecuador’s cloud forest, about 90 kilometres northwest of Quito.
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- At an elevation of about 1600 metres (5200 feet) on the western flank of the Andes, the region is blanketed with fog most of the time. Because of the slope of the terrain, daylight penetrates the forest canopy much more than it does in the rain forest. The unique climate supports a stunning range of flora and fauna.
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- The area is best known for its waterfalls, butterflies, hummingbirds and orchids.
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- The town of Las Tolas consists of three roads, about six kilometres (four miles) away from the nearest paved highway.
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- Most homes are hand-built wooden structures with corrugated steel roofs. Some have concrete on the bottom floor.
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- The dining room doubles as a tienda in some houses.
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- Hardly anyone owns a vehicle. Mules are commonly used for labour in the steep terrain.
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- Las Tolas is the end of the line for the one bus company that serves the town. Six days a week the bus leaves at 6:25 a.m. for the three-hour drive to Quito. The return trip leaves Quito at 4:30 p.m. The drivers sleep overnight in the bus.
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- There are no supermarkets in Las Tolas, so residents buy their groceries from the back of a truck that comes to town two or three times per week.
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- Laundry is washed by hand on concrete wash stations behind each house, and hung to dry in the damp air.
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- The economy is based on agriculture and logging. Farmers raise cattle for beef and dairy.
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- Cows are milked by hand. Francisco Martinez says that his three cows each produce about four litres (one gallon) per day. The family uses about one-third of that, and the remainder is sold to a local dairy for $0.25 per litre.
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- In an effort to reduce the town’s dependence on the logging industry, a group of citizens has developed a workshop to make jewelry from the local forest’s renewable resources.
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- It takes two to three years to dry the tagua seeds before they can be used.
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- Renee Coyaguillo cuts tagua seeds into slices in his workshop. Sometimes known as “vegetable ivory,” the tagua is dried, polished and carved into keychains, jewelry and other articles.
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- The artisans also use fern wood, coconut sheels and small seeds.
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- Necklaces, like this one made from tagua, fern wood and seeds, are among their most popular items.
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- This hand-decorated bracelet is made from bamboo and seeds
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- Every October the town has a fiesta. The local men play soccer against a team from a nearby town.
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- Spectators can buy grilled chicken sandwiches.
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- On the schoolground there is a carnival with foosball tables …
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- … a hand-powered carousel for the children …
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- … and not much more.
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- When the work is done, the men of Las Tolas play “Ecuavolley,” a local three-man variation of volleyball.
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- Sunday afternoons are for “pelota nacional.” In this sport, unique to Ecuador and Colombia, two teams of five beat a rubber ball back and forth on a long narrow court.
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- The spiked rackets weigh five to seven kilograms (10-15 pounds). Players are only allowed to use one hand.
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- The game is scored like tennis.
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- “Sundays are for pelota,” say these men, “and Mondays are for drinking.” They work Tuesday through Saturday in the local logging industry.
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- Mondays are the only day children in Las Tolas wear their uniforms to school. They attend school in town until they are about 13 years old. High school students travel 20 kilometers (12 miles) or more to continue their education.
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- In their spare time the boys play with marbles.
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- In their spare time the boys play with marbles.
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- Like children everywhere, girls play with dolls and makeup.
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- Within spitting distance of the equator, the sun sinks into the clouds below Las Tolas around 6 p.m. every day.
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April 12th, 2010at 2:03 pm(#)
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Anne Dixon. Anne Dixon said: @thenamesLEAH Check out Las Tolas in these photos http://is.gd/boM30 #lastolas [...]