142 



Till-: NATIONAL GEOC.k A I'l I li' MAGAZINE 



i \ |5 



A LOJA CHURCHYARD OFFERS HOSPITALITY TO MULE TRAINS 



or mules at a fast gait, and reining 

 strongly to force the beasts to arch the 

 neck and curvet, with the result that they 

 go slithering and plunging, to the great 

 detriment of the bystander who does not 

 give way or who stands too close to a 

 puddle. 



During the fiesta of All Saints' Day 

 the people drink quantities of an unfer- 

 mented rice wine and purchase bread 

 baked in a great variety of shapes to 

 represent men, birds, horses, and other 

 animals. 



THE QUICHUAS ARE A STURDY PEOPLE 



The majority of the people one sees in 

 Ecuador are Quichuas, a sturdy people 

 rather short in stature, but well built and 

 stocky. In color they closely approximate 

 our North American Indians, but their 

 features are less stern and warlike. They 

 do most of the labor of the republic and 



serve as porters, drovers, farmers, etc. 

 The women labor as hard as do the men 

 and take their places alongside them in 

 the fields. 



The costume of the Quichua is quite 

 characteristic and picturesque. The prin- 

 cipal garment of the man is the poncho, 

 which he wears over the shoulders and 

 allows to hang down to his knees, over a 

 shirt and trousers made of coarse home- 

 spun. 



The woman wears a cape-like garment 

 in place of the poncho, and a voluminous 

 skirt gathered in to form a bulky zone 

 about the waist. 



A FARMER MUST BE AN ACROBAT TO CULTI- 

 VATE HIS STEEP FIELDS 



Both men and women go barefoot 

 habitually, but have sandals made of raw- 

 hide to wear over the rocky places. 



These people are exceedingly industri- 



