Every November 3rd, Cuenca celebrates it's independence from Spain. This year they are celebrating the 197th year of independence. This is a national holiday in Ecuador.
This is a big deal in Cuenca. The celebration lasts for about a week with the heavy duty celebrating lasting for 5 days. There are concerts, performances of all types, fireworks, and craft vendors who come to Cuenca from all over South America and even the world.
Chuck and I went to check out some of the craft vendors yesterday. It would be nice to have a million dollars in your pocket because there are so many things that are so unique. We bought a couple of items but then our pockets were empty. I will share some of the crafts and the people we saw with you in this post.
This beautiful lady is from the jungle in Colombia.
I met this U.S. looking Indian in the park. He said he was from Mexico.
Retro dressed kids handing out brochures for another event. Love the guys' suits and shoes.
Cuenca brought in artists from Indonesia. Here is one of the ladies in costume.
A flock of sheep in roped wool. Cute idea.
These knitted hats were so colorful.
A carved wood unique nativity scene. I'm not sure if the kitty is supposed to be in the scene, but I like it.
Some colorful carved Madonnas with child.
A wooden box with a scene. The scene seems to be a tavern. This vendor was from Peru.
He was also selling colorful vases. Boy, we really liked it and considered buying one of them but then we asked the price.
Some vendors from Japan teaching local children how to do origami.
Here is some beautifully crafted jewelry from Argentina.
Also, from Argentina, was a vendor who makes moveable wooden toys.
An Ecuadorian lady was selling masks she makes from paper and paint.
Another vendor was also selling masks from paper. These masks were two sided. Very artistic.
And of course, it wouldn't be a craft fair in Cuenca without Panama Hats.
There were plenty of street artists hoping to make some money too.
Another lovely lady from the jungle in Ecuador.
A booth selling Ecuadorian chocolate had a plate of cocoa beans on display.
Some religious art.
I'm not sure about these two, but they sure were handsome.
Below are some puppets from Indonesia.
Some food vendors had made a Nordic ship out of watermelon, grapefruit and large shrimp.
This was my favorite item. It is a large peacock made out of anodized copper. It would look so beautiful in our garden, but once again when we asked the price...$6,000, we decided we our garden is happy like it is.
Some handmade musical instruments.
This sampling of what we saw is only about 1/1000th of what is available.
We could not see it all, the vendors are in various locations all over the city. We were in just one of those locations.
We have missed this event for the last three years due to traveling. I am so happy we are here this year.
Love,
Nancy
