Incan Ruins, And More

An Ecuadorian Vacation: July, 2000
Click on the thumbnails in order to see the larger image.
Here I am, in the capital of Quito, straddling the equator! The right side of my body is in the Northern hemisphere, and the left side of my body is in the Southern hemisphere.
It's me again, this time on the beautiful malecon (boardwalk) in Guayaquil, Ecaudor's largest city. I am standing in between statues of Simon Bolivar and Jose de San Martin, the revolutionaries responsible for freeing Gran Colombia from Spanish rule. Gran Colombia included modern day Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador.
This photo was taken from the bus ride on the way to the Incan ruins of Ingapirca. Remember, the Incas were known as the Sky People, and lived in the Andes Mountains. Can you see the road built on the side of the mountain?
Another photo from the bus. Can you tell that we are high up in the mountains? Look at the clouds below us!
Upon arriving, the first thing that I noticed was a field of llamas and alpacas. The people of the Andes region use the wool from these animals to make very warm clothing and blankets, just as their Incan ancestors did.
This is the sign that greets you before entering the Templo Del Sol. (Temple of the Sun)
I am standing in the entrance to the Templo Del Sol. Notice the masonry, as we discussed in class. By the way, it was very cold in Ingapirca because of the altitude!
This was an aqueduct used by the Incas to carry water throughout the village.
This is my wife sitting on the edge of what was once an Incan palace.
Another great example of Incan masonry.
We went on a short hike in search of the Inca Face, which is the face of an Inca carved into a large rock on the side of a mountain. On the way, we came across these sheep, and they seemed very afraid of us!
People have farmed along mountains and hills for centuries by using terrace farming. Can you see the terrace farms in this photo?
Along the trail we came across an indigenous (native) woman. Notice the wool in her hand that will be turned into clothing or blankets. The wool came from either a sheep, a llama, or an alpaca.
After a tiring hike, we finally found the Inca Face. If you look closely, you may be able to see the nose, mouth, chin, and forehead.
Painting of the Incan leader Atahualpa surrendering to the Spanish.
Musicians in the city of Cuenca play typical Andean music. Click here in order to listen to El Condor Pasa, which is a famous Andean song. (Using Real Audio - source: http://www.andes.org/songs.html)
In order to control inflation, Ecuador stopped using their own currency, known as the sucre, in 2000, and they began to use the American dollar. This is known as dollarization. Confused Ecuadorian citizens needed signs like these all over the country in order to understand how much American money was worth in comparison to the sucre. For instance, in the photo, it shows that 25 cents was equal to 6,250 sucres. Also, a penny was worth 250 sucres.