Come With Me to Santa Barbara

Introduction:

I recently got to visit a small, indigenous community in the jungle in Ecuador.  I learned about their traditions of speaking, growing food, cooking, and more!  

What makes this environment special or different?:

The people who live here in Santa Barbara are very attached to their culture. In this community, people cook food for which they hunt or that they grow as crops.  Rather than speaking Spanish, they speak their native language, called Quechua. They also use their natural resources to make tools that help them cook their meals. 

What parts of this environment help people to live here?:

Since Santa Barbara is a small community located in the jungle, natural food resources are easily accessible for these people. In particular, foods such as cocoa, bananas, fish, corn and many exotic fruits are easy to obtain. In this small isolated village, everyone is very close to one another. Living in a neighborhood where everyone gets along is very important since people here trade goods that they need or that others need from them.  

What challenges do people face living in this environment?:

Since people here live within a jungle, lots of things that many of us take for granted in our communities are far away from them.

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