Cheese Factories, Limestone Cities, Stars, Language, and Provinces

Cheese Factories, Limestone Cities, Stars, Language, and Provinces

Midway through the main trek, we are going from the town of Quilotoa to Chucchilán, where we will trek through the cloudforest. Near there is a local cheese factory, which we have the option of visiting. The cheese factories (queserías) started in Salinas, where in 1971 Italian missionary Antonio Polo thought of setting up the factories as a solution to poverty there. Later on, the cooperative opened up about 20 more factories around the area and in other provinces as well.

In 1756, a smallpox epidemic prompted the government in Quito to order all buildings in the city to be painted with white limestone, which people believed to be a disinfectant. They stayed that way until the 1980s, when the people decided to repaint the buildings. Art historians did research on the proper former colors of the city, and by now most of the city’s Old Town has been returned to its pre-epidemic palette.

other random facts:

The constellation Orion can be seen in both hemispheres. Many of the zodiac constellations are visible from the southern hemisphere. The north star cannot be seen from anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere and there is no equivalent star.

Knowing some phrases in Quicha (not just Spanish) will be helpful at the villages of our main trek. So far I have yet to find much useful information about the language besides http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kichwa_language

These are the provinces we will mainly be visiting: Quito is the capital of Pichincha. Tena and the community we are visiting, Puma Rumi, are located in Napo (Tena is the capital), and the Laguna Quilotoa is located in Cotopaxi province, the capital of which is Latacunga.

-Marielle