Carpe Diem Education: Six Months in Ecuador, Peru, and Tanzania: Trouble in Paradise

The Ecuadorian villiage of Pucará is a solid candidate for the title of World's Most Unassuming Place. It's a humble little town, small in every sense, with modest buildings dwarfed even further by the Andean monoliths that pierce the horizon in every direction. The center square, complete with a small church, two stores, and a volleyball court, branches out into a few sleepy streets, ranging out in different directions towards family farms and friendly bungalows. The dirt highway, old but rarely used, rolls haphazardly through the middle of it all; trucks and buses rumble by semi-regularly, pushing onward to bigger and busier destinations as locals chat nonchalantly outside.

Pucará has never really tried to attract much attention to itself. It's a reserved place, even by Ecuadorian standards; by American ones, it would qualify as ¨extremely quiet.¨ But after spending some time in the villiage, an outsider will discover a new-age vitality that's hard to come by elsewhere in the rural Andes. Off the square, for example, there's a Spanish school where local women can earn money by teaching tourists and backpackers their language. A shiny new Community Center, officially the largest building in the entire Intag Watershed, fosters a close and communicative local network. Close by is the Rio Intag Coffee Cooperative, a regional coalition of growers who together produce some of the world's most delicious - and critically acclaimed - coffee. Residents run a restaurant, selling only the freshest of sustainably grown local goods; there's also a handbag weaving business that exports to two other continents. Although fewer than 250 people call Pucará home, the area's energy and industry are suggestive of a much larger place.

Our ten days in town were some of the fullest and most eye-opening yet. We worked closely with Peter Shear, an American expat living in Pucará who has devoted his last 20 years to developing the community. We spent the week working for the residents, exploring the region, studying sustainable agriculture, and learning about the pressing socio-political issues of the region.

Things aren't looking good for Pucará. The villiage is in the midst of a decades-long conflict that threatens to uproot the entire community and destroy the local way of life. The Intag Watershed, where Pucará is located, sits atop one of the largest unexcavated copper deposits in the world; it also happens to be among the planet's most biodiverse regions, with more species per hectare than almost anywhere. Excavating and refining the copper would swiftly reduce the entire watershed to a barren wasteland, thereby eliminating one of the last great natural paradises and displacing thousands of natives, including the citizens of Pucará and similar villiages. International companies have been jostling for the rights to the copper deposit since 1996, while the Ecuadorian government has sat passively by. Supported by only their own industry and determination, the locals have succeeded in preserving their land, fending off powerful corporate giants from Japan, Chile, and Canada. Recently, however, pressed by a growing national debt, the Ecuadorian government has begun an effort to sieze the land for itself. Locals and outsiders alike view this as traitorous; it also goes against several constitutional laws.

Our role in the conflict was a small one: To learn what we could about these problems, and then dedicate just a few days of our time and energy to the community. We saw firsthand that Pucará's best bet is a stronger, more self-reliant Pucará; our task, then, was simply to support the town.

So we stayed awhile. We ate at the restaurant, bought some handbags, and paid host families for room and board. We spent a few mornings plowing fields and planting pineapples with and for some of the local farming families. We hiked (and, in one case, ziplined) all over the place, absorbing the scenery and experiencing the Cloud Forest while it still exists. We chatted with locals. We salsa'd with our host moms in the square. We got absolutely decimated by the local soccer team - although we let them win, obviously, because that's the charitable thing to do, of course. And it's safe to say that we had a truly unforgettable exrpeience.

Places like Pucará are a dying breed. Life in the 21st Century has become so hurried and competitive that even the most rural communities are endangered by the pressures of the modern area - to the detriment of their cultures and against their collective wills. But Pucará is fighting back. The times have galvanized the people into action, and they're all working, with some success, to preserve their heritage and their home. We were extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to experience their way of life. Hopefully, it will remain for years to come.

There are no guarantees, however; the people of Intag are fighting an uphill battle. Money, of course, is what's lacking. There's truly no better place to put your spare change - dollars go a long way in Ecuador, and every cent counts in this fight. Visit http://www.decoin.org/ to donate or to learn more.