Two People 361 Days Six Continents

Mercado 10 de Agusto - Cuenca

My Spanish class yesterday started with my teacher trying to figure out what fruits and vegetables I know in Spanish. I know a few, but it became obvious quickly that I was simply parroting back to her what I did not know. Therefore, my teacher decided it was time for a trip to the market, "10 de Agusto."



I like markets. Jim was kidding with me because I got so excited to take him to the market for lunch the next day. Markets tend to be where everyone in a city meets, and there is not the formalization or clean pre-packing and distribution of the food. The vegetables and fruit are being hauled in by the farmers, or as seemed to be case, the women of the families (as it was essentially women selling). Full gutted pigs and half of cows are on display by the people who likely butchered them. I believe that markets like this bring one closer to the food they are eating, and the people who are out there producing. That's one of the reasons I love the Farmer's Market back home, though I rarely see full pigs on display. It is easy when you are at the supermarket to pick up milk in a plastic gallon container and forget about the industries people and standards. Markets, at least somewhat, put the food and people in your face.




We were in the section of the markets where the herbs were being sold, when my teacher stopped me to have us watch a traditional Andean medicine ritual. I felt like I was intruding, but my teacher (who has lived in Cuenca her whole life) insisted that it was okay. We were in a crowded and poorly lit corner aisle of the market where we were practically stepping on a woman selling mote behind me, and people are having to push through because we are so close to the ritual. A woman in traditional Andean dress (I found out is called a Curandero) rubbed an egg all over a screaming toddler. After rubbing the egg on the child for a couple of minutes, she cracked the egg open in a glass of water and discussed the egg's look with another woman. The egg gave the diagnosis of the illness or malady which the child had. Then she started the limpieza, or cleaning. The woman drank from plastic bottles with different colored liquids and spit the liquids on the back and neck of the toddler. Another method is to make a broom with bushels of different herbs and brush the child all over with the broom. They perform the cleanings on Tuesdays and Fridays and the child will continued to be "cleaned" until they are better. It was amazing to witness this ritual, and would never have known about it had I not been there with my teacher.

We only took a handful of pictures as we did not want to be obtrusive, but we will likely be heading to the market again Friday to buy our dinner, and hopefully avoid the supermarket the rest of the time we are in Cuenca!

Posted by Leslie at 3:52 PM

Labels: Ecuador