Chordeleg - Gualeceo - San Bartolome

Sunday was another out of Cuenca trip.  This outing was much better than our first, Although the weather was not too cooperative (we are getting use to it), the trip was well organized and comfortable.  And cheaper. We traveled in a new mini-van.  Our companions were a young man from Panama, in Cuenca for training for his job.  He works for an Ecuadoriano company. He wanted to practice his Ingles. The other passenger was a young woman from Switzerland. She spoke German, Spanish, English and I think French.   She was willing to speak in any language.   So we got to practice our espanol in a very comfortable environment.

We first stopped at San Bartolome.  We had coffee and sugarcane pastries at a small house in the village. We saw a small cathedral. Even though relatively small, the ceilings were tree stories (or more) high and had beautiful ceiling paintings. No pictures there. We then went to a guitar artisan's house.  This place was along a bumpy dirt road outside of town. Apparently, this family is known world wide for it's guitars.  they ship 2-3 to Japan per month. Apparently, a maestro from Spain just received one. We got a brief demonstration of the process. It is very intricate. Interestingly, the wood used is Canadian pine. We saw some finished products.

Chordeleg was next. It is a puebla known for silver. Outside the city, we stopped at another modest place that is the home of a family know for its use of the filigree process for jewelry making. The son, is a Phd professor In Cuenca.  He showed us parts of the process. He looked like he should be in a rock band rather than a silver shop, but was quite skilled.  He crafted the largest earring of a certain type (forgot the name). It is on display in Chordeleg. Picture posted. We wandered the village for a while.  A large church ceremony was concluding. Apparently, the night before and Sunday were dedicated to a Virgen saint of the village.  I goes we missed a big fiesta on Saturday night. Following the service, a marching band lead the congregation in a march around the town.  A podium with a statue of Jesus was carried in the parade.

Last was Gualeceo.  We visited a huge food market and vegetable/fruit market. Also, went to a camp, outside the village. This place specializes in weaving of shawls, panchos, etc.  They use methods developed by the indigenous people of the area. It was similar to what we observed in Oaxaca, Mexico. No bargaining with these people.

Back to la escuela español today.  Lecciones de guitarra start this morning.

Fotos:  En route (3), house in San Bartolome (outdoor oven - Pizzas?, backyard (2), perritos, cuys), guitars (4), silver (4), silver earing piece , around 3 pounds, silver sculpture, Chordeleg central plaza (2), Chordeleg procession (2), Gualeceo food market (5), Galeceo Vendedorita, outside market,  weaver (4).