Agua, Territorio y Poder en los Andes: La Lucha de la Comunidad de Pesillo, Cayambe

Translated title of the contribution: Water, Territory and Power in the Andes: The Struggle of the Pesillo Community, Cayambe

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

It is a cold October morning in Pesillo, in the Olmedo parish of the Cayambe canton, in the northern part of the Ecuadorian Andes. Hurry and attentive, a group of young students run to avoid the drizzle and arrive on time for the appointment with Graciela Alba, the Governor of this community that is part of the Kayambi people. The short meeting takes place in the old farmhouse of San Miguel de Pesillo, a building dating from the 17th century, once a center of local power with a long and painful history of abuse and domination. “Here, in Cayambe, we are in the place where time and space are one. Sometimes we asked our elders what that means, and they explained to us about Pacha —which is sometimes understood as time— and they said that it is something integral, united time and space. Time generally refers to the movement of the stars. The sun moves, and what happens in the time that it has moved? That is why Pacha is an aspect that refers to the life systems of all beings ”, Alba points out when beginning her explanation about the process that the Kayambi people are currently promoting to design their“ Life Plan ”, which aims to establish a special autonomous regime and its own territorial organization, in accordance with the Constitution in force since 2008.
Translated title of the contributionWater, Territory and Power in the Andes: The Struggle of the Pesillo Community, Cayambe
Original languageSpanish (Ecuador)
Title of host publicationAgua para la gente: Experiencias de gestión comunitaria del agua en el Ecuador
PublisherEditorial Universitaria Abya-Yala
Pages18-42
Number of pages25
ISBN (Print)978-9978-10-557-3
StatePublished - 12 Apr 2021

Keywords

  • Cayambe
  • Development
  • Ecology and environment
  • Public policies
  • Water resources

CACES Knowledge Areas

  • 125A Environment

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