Information about Cayambe

Geographical Summary

The canton of Cayambe is located in the north-western corner of the province of Pichincha, Ecuador.  The canton lies about 35 kilometers (22 miles) from the capital city of Quito.  Cayambe registered a population of almost 70,000, with approximately 36,000 living within the urban parishes of Ayora, San Pedro de Cayambe, and Juan Montalvo.  The area is mountainous with an average height above sea-level of 2,860m (9,383ft.) and covers a land area of about 1,350 kilometers² (521 miles²).  The average temperature varies with altitude, but the urban areas range from 60-70° year-round.
The most dominate geographic feature of the area is the snow-capped peak of Mt. Cayambe, the third highest peak in the country, rising to an altitude of 5790m (18,996ft.).  The mountain is famous for being the only place on the equatorial line that is covered in snow year-round. The area around the mountain is a protected part of the Cayambe-Coca national preserve. 
The primary economic engine in the canton is the production and exportation of flowers, particularly roses.  There are over 80 separate flower companies operating in the canton. Other crops include corn, potatoes and beans. Many raise animals such as animals such as alpacas and sheep for wool.  The region is also famous for its bee keepers who export around 12,000 liters of honey per year.  In the high altitude grasslands, there are many cattle ranches and dairy farms.  The dairy industry is centered in the city of Cayambe.  There is a large factory owned by the Nestlé Corporation, as well as several other processing facilities that produce a great variety of milks, cheeses and yogurts.

The city of Cayambe, with a population of around 35,000, is the economic nerve-center of the canton.  There are three public markets where most of the commerce of the city takes place.  There are vendors of all types of products throughout the city.  Tourism is a rapidly growing industry within the city as well.  With an increasing number of tourists interested in the areas natural resources, many tour companies and hotels have opened.  Located strategically at the base of Mt. Cayambe, there is also a significant income from the mountain-climbers and adventure seekers from all over the world. 
 

Demographic Summary

The demographic make-up of the people of Cayambe is greatly varied.  Most of the citizenry are “mestizos”, people of both Spanish and Native Indian descent.  The racial divide between the mestizos and the Quichua Indian population gets a little blurry, but is primarily distinguished by how they dress and by whether their first language is Spanish or the native Quichua.  The Quichua can be further divided by geography and family affiliation, the differences distinguished by the colors and styles of their clothing.  The Quichua men from the city of Otavalo for example, wear their hair in long braided pony tails, and are usually dressed in all white with a light blue poncho.  Our focus demographic is the Spanish speaking population living within the more urban and suburban areas around the city of Cayambe.

Historical Summary

The canton of Cayambe has a history that can be traced back to pre-Inca civilizations.  The Indian chief, Nasacota Puento, fought off the invading Incas lead by the famous chief Túpac Yapanqui for 17 years. Later, in 1475, Huayna Cápac finally conquered the Caranquis. 

In 1534, the Spanish conquest began in the area.   The inhabitants, living under the title “Cayambis” were subjected to domination and slavery.  A few of the natives escaped to a remote part of the mountains called “Oyacachi” where they lived in isolation and maintained many of their traditional beliefs. 

The area was catholicized and named “Our lady of the conception pure and clean of Cayambe” by order of the conqueror, Benalcázar, in 1570.  In 1824, the canton became part of the province of Imbabura when the revolution came to Ecuador and the nation became part of an independent state called “Gran Colombia”.  In 1851, Ecuador became an independent nation and the canton was reassigned as part of the Pichincha province.  The canton passed through a series of changes until its place was finally fixed by the government of President Eloy Alfaro in 1897.  Finally, the urban areas of Ayora and Juan Montalvo officially became parishes of the city of Cayambe in 1927.
 

Survey of Active Churches of the Urban Parishes In and Surrounding the City of San Pedro de Cayambe

(Map 1)
 

Before starting a major work of any scale, it is prudent to investigate the existing spiritual influences on the area.  Although there is a presence from some of the larger cults such as the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses, this investigation showed that there are three primary spiritual influences at work in the city: the Catholic, the Evangelical, and the Pagan.  An exhaustive study of these three influences would be beyond the intention of this report, so only a brief survey of each will be produced here.

As in most of the rest of the country, the Catholic Church appears to have the reigning influence over the people in the realm of religion.  Like most other places in Latin America, the Catholic Church has taken on a very syncretistic form in Cayambe.  Most North American Catholics would not recognize the church as it exists there.  While a large percentage of the population claims to be devout, most people do not regularly attend a formal mass.    This is not to say that the Catholic Church has little to do with their personal lives.  On the contrary, the Catholic Church is involved in every phase of life from birth to death.  Special blessings and prayers are often purchased from the church for everything from animals to vehicles.  The church is seen as the holder of eternal destiny, so the local priests do have great influence over the general population. This influence has been used in direct confrontations with evangelicals in the past, including the burning of our partner church in El Quinche in 1997.

While the Catholic Church does have a tremendous influence on the people, they do not have the final authority within the culture.  The true final religious authority resides in the pagan traditions of the people.  This is especially reflected in the worship of patron saints and the festival days.  The worship of idols is a practice that finds its roots in the traditional polytheistic beliefs of the native Indians.  When the Spanish conquered the Incas five centuries ago, the Indians were forced to accept Catholicism as their new religion.  In order to survive under this domination, the Indians adapted their existing gods to conform to the new Catholic order.  Thus, the god who was believed to be the guardian of the Cayambe region became recognized as San Juan (Saint John). The god who represents Mother Earth, Pacha Mama, took on the appearance of the "Mother of God", the virgin Mary.  Much of the activities of worship that revolve around these ancient traditions contradict the Catholic Church's stated doctrinal belief, but are still practiced today under the umbrella of the Church.  There still exist in many sectors traditional festivals that are purely pagan in origin and practice.  In the Cayambe region, some examples are the Solstice festivals in which the people bring offerings for the sun god, Inti Raymi, the festival of San Juan in which patrons dress up as the god of the harvest, and the Octavos in which the people have an eight week festival to honor pagan gods.

The Evangelical church has gained much ground in Ecuador in the last 50 years.  In the canton of Cayambe, the primary spiritual revival happened among the Quichua groups living in remote mountain villages.  In the 70’s and 80’s, large groups of Quichuas came to Christ through the effort of mainly North American missionaries.  Today, charismatic influences have diluted most of the original Gospel message.  There are many people who have simply traded a Catholic system of works for an evangelical equivalent.  Though they claim the name of Christ, they preach salvation through tithing, church attendance, prayer and miraculous evidences such as speaking in tongues and sometimes other, more unusual, practices.  Of the churches discovered in our survey, only one with like-minded doctrine was found. The spiritual need in the area is tremendous.  There is a great hunger within the people to end their confusion and find true peace with God.  We know that peace only comes through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  It's our responsibility and our divine calling to bring that knowledge to the people of Cayambe.