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SANTO DOMINGO OF THE TSACHILAS.
The capital, Santo Domingo, is an enchanting city that you should get to know with its beautiful land full of nature and culture. It is located on the southeast of Quito, it constitutes as one of the principal cities of Ecuador with its commercial and tourist activity.
Tsachila Ethnicity
The community of the Tsachilas, also known as the Colorados(colored) for their red hair dyed in achote seed, are attention grabbing people for their typical attire of short skirts with colorful stripes and their bodies are colored in black stripes. They still conserve their traditional culture and their language which is Tsafiqui. They are hospitable and dedicate themselves to agriculture and handicrafts. Their main festival is name the Festival of the Kasama, which in Tsafiqui means the beginning of a new day or new year. When visiting this community you can stop at the Ethnografic Museum where a large number of their handicrafts are displayed. The Tsachila are divided into various communes of whom the main are the Commune Tsachila Peripa, the Commune of Tsachila Colorados of Bua, and the Commune of Tsachila Chiquilpe.
Shamanism. The shaman rituals are surrounded by magical objects: stones, woods, animals, obsidians, and others. A shaman cures because he knows the secrets and the properties of many herbs. The ethnobotanic knowledge is an expression of wisdom. He is not a charlatan, his apprenticeship takes years to complete and is done other another who is renowned and prestigious.
Monument to Joaquin Zaracay. This monument was constructed to honor Joaquin Zaracay, the first colored governor of Santo Domingo and is found at the central park named Zaracay Park.
This cascade is one of the main attractions of Santo Domingo. Its clean and crystalline water invite you to take a relaxing bath while enjoying the beautiful scenery.
Santo Domingo also has other natural bating sites, rivers, and waterfalls where you can get to know the impressive landscapes full of charm, history, and culture that you will love.
If your wish is to refresh in cool water, go to the sector of Dos Puentes in the parish of Alluriquin where you’ll find natural pools where you can have a pleasant swim.
This beautiful viewpoint allows you to enjoy one of the best views of Santo Domingo which is full of fantastic natural landscapes. There is a church on the high area which is an ideal place for a pilgrimage. This place was also used as an astronomic observatory. The cobbled access avenue is a work that aims to preserve the sacred and worshiped aspects this area had to the aboriginal cultures.
Rafting, is one of the preferred sports to do in the Toachi River and the Blanco River. These rivers originate in the snows of the Illinizas and Pichincha. They also feed the tropical forests and direct the waters to the west of the Andes. These warm and crystalline waters invite you to enjoy a fascinating adventure full of adrenaline.
Camping. You can enjoy nature the Protector la Perla Forest.
Among the principal specimens of botanical species that are found in the tropic east of Ecuador are: palms, with 160 species collected from different areas of the country; crotones, an orange plant that form a labyrinth; straw trees; pambil (socratea); guadua cane; balsawood; zingiberal flowers; cactus and suculentas that are attractive plants due to their form and capacity to absorb water; orchids with over 350 species, most of which were obtained from the wild; fruit trees, with over 30 species; medicinal plants such as cats claw, chilca, and noni; plants from the Amazon Forest with 35 species native to the Oriente; and chilcos from the coast.
This forest is considered one of the most important of the area. The birds that reside here are carpenter birds, the toucan, macaws, and bueyera heron that arrive with the summer. Among the observable mammals are the guatusa, armadillo(dasypus), and the cuchucho. You can also eventual find dangerous snakes as the mata caballo and coral snakes. You can also find forest species like oaks, guayacan (tabebuia), laurel (cordial alliodora), legendary trees like ceibos that are more than 700 years old and characterize this forest. There is also fine moral, bobo moral, real palm, and tagua.
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Galapagos
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Culture
