Home / 2018 Ecuador with Sonam 511
- DSC03918
We peeked inside Iglesia San Francisco, with its stained glass windows and beautiful altar. Unfortunately it was closed so we couldn't go inside. It was Sonam's first time seeing inside a church in real life, and he was impressed with the light and beauty of it. This was the church where Sisa was baptized. We told him that he would identify with St. Francis, the church's namesake, for his love of animals. - DSC03921
Altar, Iglesia San Francisco, Cotacachi - DSC03925
Interior, Iglesia San Francisco, Cotacachi - DSC03926
Door knocker, Cotacachi - DSC03928
Next we walked up Calle 10 de Agosto, informally but popularly known as Calle de Cuero (Leather Street), where the leather artisans of Cotacachi sell their wares. They do very nice work for a reasonable price, so we often enjoy shopping here. - DSC03932
We passed a statue of Charlie Chaplin with his cane, and we couldn't resist having the guys pose for a photo. Apparently this statue was installed last year as part of the Route of the Arts. - DSC03939
Colonial Cotacachi - DSC03941
Colonial Cotacachi - DSC03961
We walked several blocks to the to the Plaza de la Matriz. It is a park in front of the gorgeous Iglesia de la Matriz, the church where Yupanqui and Shina were baptized. Unfortunately, it was closed too, but we were able to peek inside to see the gorgeous gold altar. We also admired the wood carving on the massive front doors. We took a photo of Sonam in front of the Iglesia de la Matriz with its impressive steeple/clock tower. This would be one of the last times that these clocks showed the wrong time; less than a week after we returned home from the trip, we saw online that a clockmaker had been brought in from Colombia to fix it. - DSC03945
Craig and Sonam in front of a carved door, Iglesia de la Matriz - DSC03948
Altar, Iglesia de la Matriz - DSC03952
Craig and Sonam in front of a carved door, Iglesia de la Matriz - DSC03954
Sonam and Steph in front of a carved door, Iglesia de la Matriz - DSC03963
Outside in the plaza, we saw a statue of Santa Ana (Saint Anne), the patron Saint of Cotacachi. It was interesting syncretism to see this saint, the grandmother of Jesus, dressed in the traditional attire of an indigenous woman. It brought to mind a painting of the Last Supper at Humberto's house where the Apostles were dressed as Maya, and the meal took place at Lake Atitlan. - DSC03992
We decided to go into the Museo de las Culturas (Cultural Museum) which we had never visited before. It is the building on the left in orange. We were surprised to find that there wasn't even an entrance fee! It was a lovely old colonial building with an interior courtyard.