Product Description

A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette in Ecuador

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Customer Reviews (14)

travel bug
great book, very informative for anyone wanting to travel to Equador, either for a short time or an extended stay. We are looking forward to our time in Equador, armed with the local knowledge that will make it an awesome trip

Warts and all.
The author definitely wants you to see the warts. His description of all the diseases you could get is hair raising. That being said, he does more than balance the bad with the good, I think that it needs to be updated a bit. I get a lot of info from current expats, and they do not even mention disease, so I have to think that he may have gone a bit overboard there,.

Exactly what I was looking for
This book gave me the answers I was looking for and introduced some items I hadn't even thought about.Nicely organized, fairly concise, informative but certainly not dry, it provides an excellent overview of what to expect when taking a trip to Ecuador.

Excellent and comprehensive
I think this book is a comprehensive and excellent resource for anyone considering moving to Ecuador, which would be me.The topics from history to current culture and politices, climate, demographics, etc. were very helpful to me.

Good coverage of largest cities
If you want lots of details on life and attractions in Guayaquil and Quito, this is your book. Cursory treatment of anything outside these two largest metropolitan areas Not quite what I was looking for. Crowder does however have many interesting audio interviews with authors and experts that are available online. Search latin america traveler dot com. ... Read more

Product Description

Culture and Customs of Ecuador celebrates the extraordinary cultural, geographic, and ethnic diversity that has made this small country one of Latin America's most unique. Through this overview of its history, religious institutions, literature, social customs, cinema, media, and visual and performing arts, Ecuador emerges as a vibrant microcosm of Latin America. Students and other readers will learn how Ecuadorian society blends pre-Colombian, colonial, modern, and postmodern cultural forces. The underlying themes of Ecuador's continuous struggles with multiculturalism and national identity are presented with unprecedented clarity.

Ecuador is a land of drama and paradox with abundant natural resources and a boom and bust economy that has prolonged dependence and instability. Despite many of the economic and social obstacles typical of developing nations, Ecuador has developed a dynamic culture. This multicultural society comes alive through engaging chapters on everything from history to performing arts. A chronology and glossary supplement the text.

Customer Reviews (1)

An excellent resource
This is an excellent resource for those interested in the way Ecuador and its people live and work, the Ecuadorian institutions, customes, and idiosyncrasies. However, some material is oudated since the book covers events up to 1999, and quite a lot has happened in this country in the decade since. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

brief but honest picture of Ecuador
This short book packs in a great deal of honest and accurate information about the beautiful, complex, culturally rich, and ecologically threatened country of Ecuador.It is not a tourist guide, but recommended for prospective visitors who want to understand the culture and politics of Ecuador, and understand it quickly.It is especially valuable for its summary of the destructive effects of the petroleum industry on the ecology and economy of the country, and for its its brief but accurate introduction to the country's powerful indigenous movement. It gives a sense of the country's cultural riches, and has some great color photos.

For those who want good solid information
If you are looking for a good overview of Ecuador without all of thetourist related fluff, this is the book for you. It briefly covers topicsfrom Ecuador's early history right up to present day politics, people andenviroment. ... Read more

Product Description
A case study of why Third World countries are still poor, the premise of Portrait of a Nation: Culture and Progress in Ecuador is that while some progress has been made in transforming the political economy of Ecuador, certain behaviors, beliefs and ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Timely and Current
I purchased this book prior to a school trip to Ecuador.Once there, I leared this book is required reading in international studies.It is current and give a good history and retrospecive view of the history and political culture of Ecuador. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (4)

Very interesting read
I read while I was living/traveling in Ecuador for two months, and it provided many interesting insights into the country's history and politics. The variety of articles is excellent. (Personally I would have wished for a greater weight on contemporary writings, but to each his own.) There are few books in English about Ecuador generally. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a deeper understanding of the country.

Good academic overview
There are few academic books giving an overview of Ecuador.This one does a good job without being too dry.Good for the traveler who wants a deeper understanding, and essential for any student doing advanced cultural studies in the country.

Excellent, intellegent look at Ecuador
From Pre-Colombian history to modern day recipes, this book has it all. Definitely an intellectual read, it covers Ecuardor's people and history in depth. The book covers indigenous issues, afro-ecuadorian history, poetry, fiction, mountaineering, the Panama Hat, the banana and oil booms, and so much more. I felt like I really understood the country as a whole after I read this book.

Interesting topics
This book has a series of excellent articles covering a range of topics on Ecuadorian culture.As a foreign aficionado of Ecuador, I truly appreciated the new insights into Ecuador found in this book.This is not a book that you read through from cover to cover - you read individual chapters. ... Read more

Product Description
Culture Shock! Ecuador Nowhere on earth will you find such a unique and diverse country as Ecuador. It is a complex place which requires time and compassion to understand. Informed, fluent, involved, intelligent and luridly realistic. Nicholas will equip you with all the tools you will need to understand this land with a rich and tumultuous history. Culture Shock! Ecuador covers the history, geography, economy, class structure, social and business customs, festivals, food, arts and language of this colorful land. It is packed with useful tips on settling into, experiencing and enjoying Ecuador. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

A very mixed message from this author
I'm hoping to retire to Ecuador or another Andean country in three years or so, so I really looked forward to reading this book.The author is married to an Ecuadorian woman and has lived there for well over 20 years now, and he obviously loves the country.I found the sections on history, geography/ecology and culture/customs quite useful as a starting point.But then, he splashes cold water all over the reader with his sections on crime and health/medicine.He makes even a short visit to Ecuador seem like the most perilous possible journey -- if you don't die from some tropical disease, you surely will be mugged, robbed or murdered.In effect, he seems to be saying "Gringos! Keep Out!"Very disappointing.

Good information, but please disregard the author's attitude
I have never met the author, but our experience is far different and much more positive than his.Read the book for the facts and history; he does a wonderful job in those areas.But please do not judge Ecuador by the 'sore loser' tone with which he writes.Despite Mr. Crowder's experience, we moved to Ecuador as retirees. Please visit and judge for yourself. I kept this book for the cultural and historical facts, but the rest is one opinion (as is this review).

A Interesting Read
I've lived as a gringo in Ecuador for almost three years now.I didn't order this book until only a few months ago, so had been exposed to the culture and customs well before hand.This book is spot-on in virturally every aspect.If you plan on spending any signifigant amount of time in Ecuador, this book is a must-read.You'll not likely be able to do anything about it, but at least you'll know what to expect!

helpful for the businessman maybe ...
Having bought this book in anticipation of a trip to Ecuador, I am having second thoughts based on the negative impression with which I'm left after reading this book.Although he relates fond memories and favorite foods and regions, it's not clear if he really likes it there.That said, however, Crowder's book is factual(if not a little outdated since it's now 2 yrs old).

As a seasoned traveller to Mexico and Guatemala, I would expect some of the cultural differences (concept of time, casual bribery to get anything accomplished, trouble with visas, etc.), but he offered very little, if anything, to make me actually want to visit Ecuador.Though the book does contain a lot of information for anyone who wants to do business in Ecuador, it's not terribly well written (most business books aren't imho) and certainly not written for the average tourist.Of course, that can be a good thing if you follow the path that he took. Crowder DID live there, though I found it strange that even with an Ecuadorian wife, he mentions that his son doesn't speak Spanish.Makes me wonder how much of Ecuador he really got to know aside from his business ventures.

He does include examples of native poetry, a rundown of typical food fare, transportation issues, and a brief helpful history, all good things to know in a new country. And I do appreciate his advice that you should speak Spanish or employ a native speaker you can trust if you want to spend any time there.

In short, I can confidently recommend this book for anyone wanting to do business in Ecuador but not necessarily for the average traveller. Unless this is your very first trip to ANY Latin country, the cultural information won't be anything new and it may discourage you from visiting altogether.

Outdated
We have been living in Ecuador for the last 7 months and purchased this book before leaving home to help prepare for what was to be instore for us on our arrival to Ecuador. We have found that much of the information contained is very outdated and not really that applicable. We did enjoy the section on history and as an insight into how things may have been done 10 years ago. ... Read more

Product Description

This book provides the reader with a story that has been many years in the making. It is the story of the Runa, a Quichua-speaking Indian population in Ecuador's Amazon region. It offers a window onto another culture, an illustration of the relationship between ethnicity and culture, and a story of the mobilization of an indigenous group.And when the reader arrives at the book's end, he or she will understand why the story is not merely shelved and finished, but is rather an ongoing tale that will continue for years to come. The author has been following the Runa's adaptation to continuous changes around and amongst them since 1974. When he first met the Runa, they were practicing swidden horticulture, hunting, fishing, and living their created culture while also reacting to external pressures imposed on them by newly arrived colonists and changing national legislation. This book follows the Runa from a passive accommodating society to an active organized group. The Runa thus became one of the early standard bearers in what is now a hemispheric social movement -- indigenous ethnic federations. These organizations have changed Latin America by successfully thrusting indigenous identities and concerns into the middle of national political arenas that previously marginalized and stigmatized them. Anthropologists or anyone interested in other cultures. Part of the New Immigrant's Series.

Product Description
Based upon historical and archival research, as well as the author's years of fieldwork in indigenous communities, Michael Uzendoski's theoretically informed work analyzes value from the perspective of the Napo Runa people of the Amazonian Ecuador. Written in a clear and readable style, "The Napo Runa of Amazonian Ecuador" presents theoretical issues of value, poetics, and kinship as linked to the author's intersubjective experiences in Napo Runa culture. Drawing on insights from the theory of gift and value, Uzendoski argues that Napo Runa culture personifies value by transforming things into people through a process of subordinating them to human relationships. While many traditional exchange models treat the production of things as inconsequential, the Napo Runa understand production to involve a relationship with natural beings (plants, animals, spirits of the forest), which are considered to be subjects that share spiritual substance, or samai. Throughout the book, value is revealed as the outcome of a complicated poetics of transformation by which things and persons are woven into kinship forms that define daily social and ritual life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellant book; for all who are interested, not only academics.
Uzendoski, does a nicely balanced job of mixing technical anthropological thought, real life experience and contemporary happenings into the chapters of this book. In contrast to many other ethnographies it is not a dry, overly academic text that only others in the area of study could grasp. As one reads about the aspects about Napo Runa life, you also get a glimpse into what goes on in the changing environment where these people live. Their presentation in this text definetly helps export their humanity to the reader. It has a writing style that is nicely detailed and formed in such a way to be inclusive to any reader with a genuine interest in the Napo Runa or Amazonian peoples in general. Well worth the buy. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is a study of the power relationshipsinherent in domestic architecture and household material culture thatwere essential to the maintenance of the Spanish colonialempire. Using the household spatial patterning, furnishings, andpersonal belongings of residents of the highland city of Cuenca,Ecuador, during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the bookexamines gender, ethnic, and status relations in the colonial Andeanworld. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Dollars & Sense, published by Economic Affairs Bureau on January 1, 2003. The length of the article is 374 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Dispatch from the Free Trade Area of the Americas ministerial: indigenous activists enter the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas meeting in Quito, Ecuador, then describe the effort in a letter to their allies worldwide. (Active Culture).
Author: Thatcher Collins
Publication: Dollars & Sense (Newsletter)
Date: January 1, 2003
Publisher: Economic Affairs Bureau
Page: 6(1)

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A Guide to the culture and etiquette of Ecuador allowing the traveller to understand the local people and enjoy their stay in Ecuador whether business or leisure. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Airman, published by Thomson Gale on September 22, 2007. The length of the article is 586 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Volunteer spirit part of Manta culture.(Manta, Ecuador)
Author: Louis A. Arana-Barradas
Publication: Airman (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 22, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 51Issue: 4Page: 23(1)

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