Back to Galapagos
Text: Carolina Matheus
Photos: Iván Ceballos
Most people are familiar with the magical wildlife of the Galapagos Islands. It is easy to envision monstrous tortoises, prehistoric-looking iguanas, cute sea lions, and all sorts of animals roaming around the Archipelago. Indeed Galapagos has unique wildlife and breath-taking scenery which intrigued Charles Darwin and many scientists over the centuries. However, it is also the home of a changing and often ignored species: humans.
Today the five main islands of the Galapagos Archipelago are inhabited by around 40,000 people, a mixture of mostly mestizos from Ecuador’s mainland provinces as well as Europeans and North Americans who traveled to this remote paradise to stay. Out of this, came a melting pot of ideas which has given and is still giving shape to Galapagos’s culture.
Paradise Turned into Hell: Legend and Reality are intertwined
Every society has its myths and legends and Galapagos is no exception. Its history include some odd characters fit for eerie tails. This is because it was not your average “Joe” who immigrated to the Galapagos. It took someone VERY adventuresome, desperate, or slightly crazy to venture off to remote and desolate islands with very little drinking water. This is the case of several European families fleeing World War II, or of few adventurous Ecuadorians who immigrated looking for an ideal community. During this time an extravagant baroness with her two lovers arrived. It seemed like far away from civilization they could live out their unconventional relationship in peace. Unfortunately, one of the lovers was mysteriously killed, thus destroying the idea of a “perfect” community far from the evils of Europe or the continent!
Another notorious character in Galapagos was the tyrannical Manuel Cobos who set up a colony in 1869, named ‘Progreso.’ However, it was anything but progressive. Workers were beaten, cheated, and often killed at his discretion. Until finally, when he demanded workers to bring their wives over to his house so he could sleep with them, it was a bit too much and he was finally murdered by his own people!
Talented Artists
Most of Ecuadors mainland has amazing handicrafts due to the richness produced by the mixture of millenarian indigenous peoples with Spanish colonists. Textiles, jewelry, tapestries… you name it, make up a long list of wonderful crafts Ecuador can share with the world. On the other hand, because Galapagos had no initial human inhabitants, this cultural richness nor tradition in crafts really existed. Yet it seems, as if to compensate, several talented artists have made Galapagos their permanent home. Some of them are immigrants from Ambato (mainland Ecuador) who moved there after the devastating earthquake in 1949. The earthquake had left the city in shambles and they went to the islands searching for a new life. These were artisans who were very skilled in woodwork and carpentry. Others are foreigners who have been inspired by Galapagos’s exotic and unique scenery who dedicate their lives to painting, doing ceramic and sculpting.
For instance, one British artist came for an art show in 1989, fell in love with a native “Galapagueño” and his homeland and immigrated in 1991. In her paintings, she reveals her fascination for the animals such as blue footed boobies and sea lions. Her naïve style is colorful, cheerful. Another interesting artist transforms found objects into art. In her hands, discarded ceramics become elaborate mosaics and animal bones become wonderful sculptures. She and her family have protected a mangrove in their property in Santa Cruz where a “sculpture garden” of her mosaic murals begin to emerge within the vegetation for all to admire.
Crafts: Alternate sources of Income
As far as crafts go, probably the most well known in Galapagos is Cedrela wood carving. “Cedrela odorata, known as Spanish Cedar in English, or Cedro Cubano in Spanish, is an aromatic wood in high demand in the American tropics because it is naturally termite-and rot-resistant. It has a resin which is insect-repelling by its strong odor, hence, the source of its name (it resembles the aroma of true cedars).” This introduced wood flourishes in some of the main islands because it enjoys dry weather. The artisans carefully make chairs, tables, figurines. The Santa Cruz City Council has been trying to give incentives to locals so they can have an alternate source of income through carving.
The Sweet Smell of Guava
Another introduced tree is also becoming more and more important in the Islands. This is the case of the guayaba (guava in English). Its high vitamin C content, produces a delicious and aromatic fruit with beautiful orange-pink inside and yellowish-green on the outside. Galapageños are making delicious juice, jam and jelly out of this nutritious fruit. Also the guava tree´s wood is strong and may also become important for making furniture and wooden crafts in the near future. This is the hope of CRACYP, (Rural Forestation and Progress Network Corporation) a non-profit organization facilitating reforestation and sustainable rural development in agricultural areas, which is beginning to teach locals to develop an alternate source of income.
Therefore, besides being a natural wonder, Galapagos also has fascinating legends, fine artists, wood carvers and a growing community of immigrants with a strong tradition in folk art. Make sure that on your visit you also take some time to explore the “human touch” of the Enchanted Islands!
Sources:
Personal interviews: Sarah Darling. March 2009. Maria Dolores Salgado, Georgina Cruz, April 2009.
www.hear.org/pier/species/cedrela_odorata.htmPacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER)
March 2009.
http://www.ambato.gov.ec/terremoto. April 2009.
www.progresoverde.org . March 2009.
www.galapagos-islands-tourguide.com. March 2009