Guamote lies in the central valley of the Ecuadorian Andes, 50km to the south of Riobamba and 270km south of Quito, along the ‘Avenue of the Volcanoes’.
The topography ranges from 2,600 to 4,500m above sea level. Together with nine other ‘cantons’, Guamote forms part of the province of Chimborazo, named after the highest volcano in Ecuador (6,310m). The parish of Guamote consists of 54 indigenous communities and 7 ‘urban’ zones. Together with the smaller parishes of Cebadas and Palmira, Guamote has a population of 35,210 inhabitants. The large majority of the population live in the more remote rural communities of the canton.
According the Radio, The Voice of Guamote, the territory that today is the canton Guamote, in Ecuador, was inhabited since time immemorial by the chiefdoms of Guamutis, Atapos, Pulles, Tipines, and Vishudes, among others. All these were partially of the Puruha kingdom, where people engaged in animal husbandry, for grazing and wool production.
One of the characteristics of Guamote has been rebelliousness of its people, first against the Inca empire, and then along the colony and the republic, against the Spaniards and landowners.
Until 1984 the Indigenous were marginalized politically. Despite this, indigenous representatives were used by mestizos (Ecuadorians of mixed Spanish and indigenous descent) to capture the chairmanship of the council.
Since the 90's, peasant and indigenous organizations have chosen to participate with their own candidates. As a result of this decision, in 1992 victory was achieved, and Guamote became the first municipality in the country to have an Indian Mayor.
Guamote faces a number of challenges over the next few years, including out-migration of young workers, an over-reliance on agriculture as a form of employment, changes in socio-cultural and rural traditions, and environmental problems caused by deforestation and agricultural intensification. The moderate climate and the richness of the soil means, however, that for the time being there is sufficient agricultural production to meet the basic needs of the population. However, as was revealed in a recent World Bank report on Malnutrition in Ecuador and Peru, the indigenous communities are not getting a balanced diet. In particular, there are marked differences between the general health, well-being and growth patterns of children in their first 24 months of life.
The Kichwa People have a community blog site called The Voice of Guamote (La Voz de Guamote). Likewise, Guamote is a model rural community in Ecuador in that 200 families are linked by wi-fi in a network that keeps them informed of stock and produce prices and the latest information they need as agricultural producers. But unless the next generation are not only literate but computer literate, they cannot access such resources.
Guamote has been identified by John Cameron as one of three communities that have been broadly recognized in Ecuador as being the "most encouraging of 'citizen' participation in municipal decision-making and are frequently pointed to as possible models for other small cantons to emulate. All three municipal governments have received positive coverage from the Ecuadorian press and have attracted significant interest from NGOs interested in working with municipal governments." As one of those NGOs, the work of Inti Sisa is helping to prepare today’s youth for the challenges lying ahead. Even more hopefully, Cameron found that, shaped by the land reforms in Ecuador, "local government in Guamote did emerge as [an] exemplary case not only of participatory administration but also of accountability and transparency."
In Guamote, the Local and Indigenous Parliament, formed in 1997, has become an umbrella body for all NGOs working in Guamote, so that projects are coordinated. Self sufficiency, as opposed to paternalism has been addressed by requiring that communities provide 50% in either labour or resources for any project. Cameron concurs that the downside of the agrarian reform was that capital left the province along with the hacienda owners. Thus this has impeded economic development in the area. Indeed, Cameron has identified lack of technical expertise amongst the indigenous leadership as one of the problems facing further economic progress. (Cameron, J. 2008, 'Municipal Decentralization and Peasant Organization in Ecuador: A Political Opportunity for Democracy and Development?')
However, the work of Inti Sisa demonstrates that such challenges are not all insurmountable. The educational programs, the Lodge, the chocolate manufacturing and the hospitality to tourists are all providing not just employment but expertise to the local people.