Blunder Abroad

Quito, Mindo, Cotacachi and Baños de Agua Santa

As I write this, we are in Quito, Ecuador. We will be staying at our Quito Airbnb until September 23rd and then heading to Mindo, Cotacachi and Otavalo, and Baños de Agua Santa.

We will be in the Mindo from Sept 23 – 26.

We will be in the city of Cotacachi from Sept 26 – 30. We will visit Otovalo on the way to Cotacachi.

Then we will head to Baños de Agua Santa with a stopover in Cumbayá (basically a small neighborhood in Quito). We will be in Baños de Agua Santa from Oct 1 – October 4.

Lima, Peru

After a one-day stop back in Quito on Oct 4 – 5, we will leave for Lima, Peru. We will be in Lima from October 5 – 26.

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

We will be in the San Miguel de Allende from Oct 25 – Nov 6.

Querétaro, Mexico

We will be in Querétaro, Mexico from Nov 6 – 20.

Mexico City, Mexico

We will be in Mexico City from Nov 20 – Dec 4.

Medellín, Colombia

We will be in Medellín, Colombia from December 4 – 12.

Spoiler Alert:

Cuenca, Ecuador (again)

We will be in Cuenca, Ecuador from December 13 – Jan 11. We have heard people talk non-stop about how amazing Cuenca is for the holidays. The 7-8 hour parade, the young men dressing up as women, the fireworks and other pyrotechnics and the parties sound too good to be passed up.

Christmas Traditions

Christmas Traditions

  • El Pase del Niño Viajero (December 24): Cuenca hosts one of the largest and most famous Christmas parades in South America along Calle Simón Bolívar. Thousands of participants march for hours with decorated floats, live brass bands, dancers, and children dressed as biblical figures, angels, and shepherds. Floats are often adorned with local produce, roasted pigs (hornado), and liquor bottles, while marchers toss candy and animal crackers to the massive crowds.

New Year’s Eve Traditions

  • La Quema de Años Viejos (December 31): Life-sized effigies (monigotes) stuffed with sawdust and fireworks are built in neighborhoods across the city to represent political figures, cartoon characters, or the events of the passing year. They are set ablaze at midnight to burn away the bad energies of the old year.
  • Las Viudas (The Widows): On December 31st, groups of men dress up in exaggerated women’s clothing acting as the “widows” of the burned año viejo effigies, roaming the streets to dramatically beg passing drivers and pedestrians for small change to pay for the “funeral”.
  • Blocking the Streets (La Vaca / Peaje): Youngsters in various neighborhoods stretch ropes or chains across local streets to playfully halt traffic, demanding a tiny monetary toll from drivers before letting vehicles pass.
  • Luck Rituals at Midnight: Locals run around the block holding an empty suitcase to guarantee travel in the new year, eat a pocketful of lentils for financial fortune, or wear colored underwear (yellow for prosperity, red for love)