Saraguro Ancestral Town

Saraguro, an ancestral and proudly indigenous town, is located in the south of Ecuador in the province of Loja. Due to its strategic location in the south of the Andean mountain range, it confers a privileged landscape in which different ecosystems can be found, ranging from the Andean páramo, forest, to the inter-Andean dry forest in its surroundings.

The name Saraguro comes from Sara = Guro Corn = Pot is known as the place of the corn or the “land of the corn” which is a grass that is cultivated on a large scale without technique, without tractors, only with the help of oxen and a rudimentary plow.

The Saraguros are the only ethnic group that has survived the Spanish colonization. It is a people of the indigenous Kichwas nationality of the Ecuadorian Sierra.

Its inhabitants still conserve their archaic customs among which stand out their language, clothing, elaboration of crafts, the traditional architecture, uses of medicinal plants, ritual at the solstices, typical food and drinks, their music, Andean dance, myths and legends, traditional festivities, are the elements that identify this historical town inherited from the Incas.

The dress of the Saraguros is characterized in the men by the black ponchos and hats and in the women by the “anacos” and shawls of the same color.

The food in Saraguro is very important because it is typical of its land, and its preparation is very different from that of other places. The food is one of the many characteristics of the Saraguro culture. The special events of the Saraguro community are always accompanied by ancestral recipes that do not allow the passage of time to fade their particular and millennial flavor.  One of the most appetizing dishes is the ‘pinshe‘, a dish that includes potatoes, guinea pigs, cheese, mote, and bread

If you want to enjoy a magic ancestral time visit Saraguro. Contact us.