ecuador with world connect

In the highlands of Cuenca and el Bosque Nublado, this gallery traces the stories of women like Vice-Mayor Marisol Peñaloza—visionaries planting the roots of economic independence through community banks—and the indigenous communities living in harmony with the land through eco-tourism, permaculture, and sustainable farming. These images, captured in partnership with World Connect, document the quiet power of locally led development, where women are not only preserving tradition, but shaping a future of dignity, resilience, and self-determination.

Esta práctica se llama la Ritual de Chakana. 

This practice is called is called Ritual de Chakana.  The rural women performed this practice to ask pachamama (mother earth) for permission to stop the rain. Using a cross made from plants, food, seeds, they dance and light the smoke of palo santo to pay their respect to la tierra (the planet). While this specific ritual focused on ridding the rain, intentions can vary, but there is always an element of giving thanks to nature.