Sayausi is a community located in the south of

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

, between

Cuenca Cuenca may refer to: People * Cuenca (surname) Places Ecuador * Cuenca Canton, in the Azuay Province ** Cuenca, Ecuador, capital of Cuenca Canton and Azuay Province ** Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cuenca Peru * Cuenca District, Huarochirí ...

and El Cajas National Park. It belongs to

Cuenca Canton Cuenca is a cantons of Ecuador, canton of Ecuador, located in the Azuay Province. Its capital is the town of Cuenca, Ecuador, Cuenca. During the census of 2001 the canton had 417,632 inhabitants and in 2010 it had 505,585 inhabitants.

Crops

The traditional crops of Sayausi are

corn Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...

potatoes The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...

and some

tropical fruit There are many fruits that typically grow in warm tropical climates or equatorial areas. Tropical fruits Varieties of tropical fruit include: * Abiu * Açaí * Acerola (West Indian cherry; Barbados cherry) * Achachairú (Bolivian mangosteen; ...

s. The area is so close to the Colonial city of

that some of crops are sold on the many markets of the city. Farmers travel these distances to offer to the public a variety of vegetables and fruits.

Tourism

In the 1990s this area was unknown, but new hotels and restaurants are opening and tourism has increased tremendously. Additionally, the strengthening tourism sector of neighboring

Cuenca, Ecuador Cuenca, officially Santa Ana de los Ríos de Cuenca, is an Ecuadorian city, head of the Cuenca Canton, canton of the same name and capital of the Azuay Province, province of Azuay, as well as its largest and most populated city. It is crossed by t ...

has increased tourism to Sayausí as well. More recently, a number of local initiatives have been started in order to expand Sayausí's

agritourism Agritourism or agrotourism involves any agriculturally based operation or activity that brings visitors to a farm or ranch. It encompasses a wide range of activities, including direct-to-consumer sales such as farm stands and u-pick, agricultu ...

sector. These initiatives primarily focus on sharing the gastronomy and culture of this rural part of Ecuador.

Traditions

Traditions include the preparing of the

Inca The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The History of the Incas, Inca ...

n chicha of Jora (a sour corn beverage) and preparing the national dish of cuy (roasted

guinea pig The guinea pig or domestic guinea pig (''Cavia porcellus''), also known as the cavy or domestic cavy ( ), is a species of rodent belonging to the genus ''Cavia'', family Caviidae. Animal fancy, Breeders tend to use the name "cavy" for the ani ...

). Many of the people continue the tradition of wearing the costume of the " Cholas Cuencanas" (Mestizos in Native clothes), a unique clothing costume in South America.

References

{{coord, 2, 52, S, 79, 04, W, display=title, region:EC_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki Parishes of Ecuador Populated places in Azuay Province