Morona Santiago Province - Ecuador

It is one of the 24 provinces that make up Ecuador. It is a province of the Ecuadorian Amazon. Its capital is the city of Macas, which is also its most populated city. This town is universally known as human head reducers, for its warrior spirit, not in force today.

Thickness and jungle of green foliage, mystery and silence are the characteristics of the Ecuadorian Amazon, which next to the rivers that are part of their development paths, give way to the typical wooden canoes to make the adventure trips, looking like their People are engaged in the practice of activities that are part of their daily lives. The jungle and its charms are its main tourist attractions. It is extremely exciting to visit the Jíbaros or Shuar ethnic groups.

As an important attraction: The "Cave of the Tayos", Sangay National Park, Sugarloaf and El Kutuku. The geographical characteristics of the territories of this eastern province are very different from those of other regions, since from the Andean mountain range it presents a separation of the mountain branch of Cutucú, the same that for many geographers constitutes a third mountain range, separated from the eastern by the Upano river that runs from north to south; Another of its peculiarities is the presence of the Sangay volcano, which until recently was one of the most active in the world.

Climate Province Morona Santiago

The climate of Moronense territory is very varied within its areas of plateaus and valleys, where you can enjoy a very diverse and extensive vegetation, understanding an average temperature between 18 and 23 degrees Celsius, having a tropical and subtropical climate.

Fauna Province Morona Santiago

The Moronense territory contains a very varied wildlife, especially with the large number of strange and particular birds, with a number of colors, such as parrots, toucans, parrots, wild turkeys, parakeets, roosters Monte, among other species. It is also adorned with an extensive range of very colorful butterflies.
It also includes a large number of mammals, including American danta, guatusa, jaguar, tigrillo, deer and different species of monkeys.

Within its fauna there are many species of reptiles of which the amphibious boa stands out, which can measure up to 8 meters long, the X snake and the coral that usually has a varied and very bright color.

Flora Province Morona Santiago

The vegetation of this territory is affected by the weather, making it very abundant. Containing extensive natural forests and a large area of ​​grassland, which are used in several cases for livestock.

It includes a large number of trees of good quality in terms of wood and exploited many times. There are mahogany, pitiucas, cedars, laurels, gayacans, peniches, among other types of trees.

The Sangay National Park was declared by UNESCO as a Natural Heritage of Humanity, having most of its domains in the province of Morona Santiago. This park abounds in natural wealth and biodiversity, in addition to containing large primary forests, which are the habitat of significant wealth in terms of flora and fauna, and is the source of a large oxygen reserve.

Rivers Province Morona Santiago

In the province of Morona Santiago runs the Upano river, which is where the Sangay Volcano originates, crossing the province from the north to its South zone and then to the East, in order to form the Santiago river, next to the Zamora river.

Upano River Province Morona Santiago

In the Upano River Valley there is a forest of arrayanes, which is the habitat of a beautiful landscape, where you can admire beautiful orchids and other types of vegetation. Its busy beaches that are considered very visited by residents and tourists to recreate and in recent years tourists use its attractive waters to carry out extreme sports such as rapting.

Santiago River Morona Province Santiago

The Santiago River is born from the Upano River, being a large part of the Amazonian areas between the Republic of Ecuador and the Republic of Peru, it is one of the most important of the Marañon River, also flowing the Amazon River basin. It is conformed by the influx in Ecuador of the Zamora River and the Namangoza River, understanding a route of 285 km, of which 230 km belong to the Peruvian nation. Also measuring the sources it contains, the Santiago River can reach a length of 485 kilometers in its entirety.

Gastronomy

The province of Morona Santiago contains a very varied gastronomy, based on the food that can be obtained within its borders, such as the ayampaco that is prepared with fish or chicken, next to palm and covered in bijao leaves. Other dishes that represent this community are roasted meat, cassava and palm kernel, fritters, cassava tortillas and sweaty meat. Not to mention that they are also prepared at present but in a few proportions such as the bridal broth, the beets, the pellets, among other typical dishes.

In addition they are characterized by preparing delicious drinks such as guayusas, and their great variety of girls, such as cane chichas, chonta chichas and cassava girls, drinks very common in the Shuar ethnic group.

The ayampaco

Primarily a bijao sheet was used for coverage, that is, it contains ingredients such as onions, spices and, most importantly, any type of meat can be used. Since there are about 17 kinds of meats that can be used to prepare an ayampaco. After the ingredients have been wrapped, the bijahua leaf is closed and placed on the fire until it is fully cooked.

Yucca and palm heart tamale

In relation to the elaboration of this tamale, we begin to peel and wash the cassava, and then be grated thinly. The abundance of water is also oppressed and seasoned with salt. With this dough they make a kind of stretched tortillas that are placed on the bijao sheet, wrapped and steamed.

A more Creole translation of cassava tamale are those made with pork and egg meat. For this preparation the meat is cooked in water, then that same water should be used to cook cassava. After cooking the cassava is crushed well, put lard, salt and join to obtain a uniform and smooth dough.

The bridal broth

This broth is a typical soup, ingredients from the Amazon of Ecuador are used, mixed with food from the mountains. One of the most characteristic ingredients of this dish is the rolaquimba leaves, which are found in the chacras, also found in cassava and green plantain, as local ingredients, and the nickname, carrot, garlic, as ingredients of the sierra. This is the dish they prepare to celebrate the marriages, in gratitude to the attendees at the wedding ceremony.

For the celeb the beef was expressed and they tried to use all the parts of it, even the bones. For the preparation of the bridal broth, part of the meat, ribs and white bone were sometimes used. First, the bones are cooked well for about two hours with a little salt. Vegetables are prepared separately. The nickname and carrot are prepared and set aside.

Tourist places

The province of Morona Santiago has great tourist attractions within its territory, where you can enjoy a pleasant atmosphere to have fun, learn or clear your mind, here you can name one of them.

Huerto el Eden Ecotourism Farm

In this territory is the Huerto el Eden Ecotourism Farm, which is characterized as a site that protects neotropical animals, which are the target of many hunters and wildlife dealers. In its ecosystem you can admire more than 15 species of animals, in addition to having snails, orchids and trees that produce fruits.

Sardinayacu Lagoons

You can also visit the lagoons of Sardinayacu which is made up of 5 lagoons, which are constituted by the thaws that produce the Sagay volcano and other streams that come from the Volcano River, with a space of up to 5 km in diameter, attractive for their dark blue waters, which is surrounded by an extensive flora and large number of animals, perfect for sports activities such as fishing, camping, hiking, among others.

The forest of Copales

Another tourist attraction that has the province of Morona Santiago is the Copales forest, which includes a large plot of approximately 8 hectares. It is a primary forest that is mainly constituted by trees Bursela icica copales, which are characterized by their high size that exceed 10 meters long and up to 3 meters in diameter. Its location is in the eastern part of the Cuchaetsa parish. The climate is very varied but the pleasure of its visitors.

The Cutucú-Shaimi protective forest

The province of Morona Santiago contains the Cutucú-Shaimi protective forest, which comprises a total space of up to 360 thousand hectares, with extensive vegetation where trees of great heights stand out, in addition to being a forest with a very varied fauna. It contains streams, rivers and waterfalls, ideal for recreational activities such as fishing and the admiration of animals such as mammals, reptiles, birds, among others. This forest can be accessed through various places, especially by the Musap community.

Cugusha waterfall

It has a waterfall called Cascada de Cugusha, with a fall of 85 meters long, which has a small pool at the beginning of the fall with a distance of 10 meters and then the fall follows an extensive fall of 75 meters, reaching a pool of about 10 meters radius, widely used by tourists to swim, fish and clear the mind. Its waters are light blue, crystalline and free of contamination.

Macas Culture House Museum

Another popular place is the Macas House of Culture Museum, which opened its doors in 2000, later joined the museum of the municipality of Canton Morona in 2001. This museum is the headquarters of many objects with a high technical value, to be admired, valued and reserved by many representations. The great part of the works are donations of people who value art and history, doing in some interesting way, because these donations are works of generous and daily inhabitants.

Purísima Cathedral of Macas

A place of wide religious follow-up in the province of Morona Santiago is the Purísima Cathedral of Macas, being the first sanctuary built in this region by the colonial era in 1591, being defined as a small church located in the mountains, ideal for be the seat of the hermit Juan de la Cruz.

Upano River Beaches

In the province of Morona Santiago is the Upano beach, comprising an approximate space of 200 meters, with green waters and free of contamination, with moderate temperatures of minimum 14 degrees Celsius in its warmer days.

Source:
https://hablemosdeculturas.com/morona-santiago/
https://www.ecured.cu/Provincia_de_Morona_Santiago_(Ecuador)

Images.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Panacanthus_cuspidatus_-_Yaupi,_Morona-Santiago_Province_-_Ecuador.jpg