One of the things that fascinated me while travelling through Ecuador was its cultural diversity. Given its small population which is 4,5 million, you would not expect it to be so diverse.
While I was crossing the country I was amazed by the way the Ecuadorian women expressed their cultural identity.
In the northern area of Ecuador in the provence of Imbabura, I have seen many Quechua people. They are the direct descendants of the Incas.
The Highland Indian women were wearing the traditional costume which consists from an embroidered white top with a long, black skirt on top of which there is a woven piece of fabric that acts as a belt.
Another distinctive part of their traditional outfit is the colourful woven shawls around their shoulders, which is meant to offer clues about their marital status.
They wore simple fabric black shoes or open sandals.
In terms of jewellery, the Quechua women always had gold beaded multi-layered necklaces.
Apparently, the older a woman is, the higher amount of layers she has around her neck.
Some of them wore bracelets realized in a similar style with their necklaces, but with red beads.
Having long hair seemed to be a norm everywhere throughout the country. I don't recall seeing a woman or young girl wearing her hair short.
In the capital city, Quito, a lot of women were using their ethnic costume as a daily dress.
In the southern area of Ecuador, most of the older women were having their head covered by a felt hat or their wool shawls.
The highlander women chose to wear pleated colourful skirts and a wool shawl along with their headwear.
The lowlanders are dressed differently than the highlanders. They wear loose-fitting clothing and seem less interested in displaying their ethnicity, except for those living in Amazonia and the subtropical lands of Santiago.
The Mestizos and Ecuadorians of European descent do dress in Western clothing.
Have a look at this gorgeous braid! Could you believe that this is a man's hair?
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