In Ecuador, at the foot of Chimborazo, the country’s highest volcano, I settled in the small village of San Francisco de Cunuguachay.
Here, an association founded 20 years ago in France, called Ahuana, which means «to weave» in Quetcha, works as a community. It evokes the crafts and ancestral practices of the indigenous people, but also reminds us that the goal is to forge links between these traditional communities, marked by slavery, poverty, and the modern world. The association’s goal is to help them preserve and promote their cultures. By providing material support for projects designed and carried out by the women of these communities, Ahuana has helped to create a cheese factory, a bakery and a jam factory. Llamas have been reintroduced with all the benefits that these animals can bring. The place also welcomes travelers to join the communal table.
I’ve just arrived, it’s 4 p.m. and the sun is starting to set. It paints the valleys at an altitude of 3,200 meters, the women of the community return from the fields and I tell myself that I have arrived in a place of pure authenticity, simple and serene.