Kuartam

Book excerpt: In the province of Morona-Santiago, around the city of Macas, a legend has always been told about the dangers of behaving disrespectfully towards nature. It is a legend that comes from the Shuar people, who live in the jungle in the eastern Ecuadorian Amazon. Generally speaking, they are brave and proud of their traditions and of the fact that they are one of a handful of indigenous groups who managed to resist both the colonising missions of the Inca and the Spanish. The upper photo of the front cover is a genuine Shuar dwelling that was on the side of the road on the way from Puyo to Macas in Ecuador. The lower one is a view of the rainforest as taken from Macas. Of all the towns and cities I visited in the Ecuadorian Amazon region, Macas was my favourite.