Andean entrepreneurs : Otavalo merchants and musicians in the global arena / by Lynn A. Meisch.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Meisch, Lynn, 1945-

Series:

Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long series in Latin American and Latino art and culture

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Otavalo Indians--Industries.

Otavalo Indians.

Otavalo business enterprises--Ecuador--Otavalo.

Otavalo business enterprises.

Otavalo Indians--Economic conditions.

International business enterprises--Ecuador--Otavalo.

International business enterprises.

Industries.

Otavalo (Ecuador)--Economic conditions.

Otavalo (Ecuador).

Otavalo (Ecuador)--Social conditions.

Ecuador--Otavalo.

Physical Description:

xiv, 314 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm.

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Austin : University of Texas Press, 2002.

Summary:

Native to a high valley in the Andes of Ecuador, the Otavalos are an indigenous people whose handcrafted textiles and traditional music are now sold in countries around the globe. Known as weavers and merchants since pre-Inca times, Otavalos today live and work in over thirty countries on six continents, while hosting more than 145,000 tourists annually at their Saturday market.

In this ethnography of the globalization process, Lynn A. Meisch looks at how participation in the global economy has affected Otavalo identity and culture since the 1970s. Drawing on nearly thirty years of fieldwork, she covers many areas of Otavalo life, including the development of weaving and music as business enterprises, the increase in tourism to Otavalo, the diaspora of Otavalo merchants and musicians around the world, changing social relations at home, the growth of indigenous political power, and current debates within the Otavalo community over preserving cultural identity in the face of globalization and transnational migration. Refuting the belief that contact with the wider world inevitably destroys indigenous societies, Meisch demonstrates that Otavalos are preserving many features of their culture while adopting and adapting modern technologies and practices they find useful.

Contents:

1. Introduction: Globalization and Otavalo Life 1

2. How the Otavalos Became Otavalos 20

3. Textiles and Tourism Move to the Fore 39

4. In Search of the Noble Savage: Tourism and Travel to Otavalo 81

5. Otavalo Music at Home and Abroad 117

6. Otavalo Merchants and Musicians in the Global Arena 154

7. Otavalo Wealth and Changing Social Relations 200

8. Coping with Globalization 227

1.1. Ecuador 17

1.2. Otavalo Area 18

3.1. Artesanias Stores in Otavalo, 1995 79

Lard vendors at the Saturday market 2

Baby's funeral in Iluman 12

Juana Arrayan with cuy 14

Marta Conteron and her son 15

Rosa Elena de la Torre in her garden 35

Threshing wheat 45

Backstrap loom weaver 49

Yarn and fleece vendors at the Saturday market 52

Electric Jacquard loom 54

Handknit sweaters arriving in Otavalo 57

Finishing sweaters 62

Tapestry weaving on the treadle loom 64

Artesanias for export 69

Sign for traditional healer 94

Belt vendors at the Saturday market 101

The Poncho Plaza on Saturday 108

Waiting for customers 110

Otavalo tourist agency 114

Music for tourists 116

Nanda Manachi reunion concert 123

Javier de la Torre playing the charango 129

Jesus Fichamba performing 143

Sayri Cotacachi of Charijayac 145

Otavalos playing music at Peguche wedding 148

Requesting the hand of the bride 150

White-mestizo band at the wedding fiesta 151

Jose Maria Cotacachi in California 155

Otavalo sweaters in La Paz, Bolivia 157

Otavalo CDs for sale 174

Mario Conejo's inauguration as mayor of Otavalo 205

New wealth 210

The Sara Nusta and her court 211

Veronica Barahona Lema 212

The de la Torre-Arrayan family 225

Women singing Quichua hymns 228

Charijayac poster 244

Coraza 252

San Juan/Inti Raymi dancers at San Juan Capilla 253

San Juan/Inti Raymi dancers in Cotacachi 262

Celebrating San Juan/Inti Raymi at home 264

Wedding in Iluman 265

The Otavalo crafts market 266

3.1. Yarn Sales in Otavalo, 1994 68

3.2. Air Cargo Shipped from Otavalo, 1994 70

5.1. 33 1/3 RPM Records of Imbabura Music 140

6.1. CDs of Otavalo Music 191.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [269]-305) and index.

ISBN:

029275258X

0292752598

OCLC:

48711505