The Links

History of Reggaeton Here I’m on a hike with my family and neighbors. It was intense and involved rock climbing up a stream. They invited us to a “picnic” and this was no picnic.  With the rise of artists like Bad Bunny, Daddy Yankee, and Luis Fonsi you’re probably familiar with the reggaeton genre of music. Even if you aren't, the style has existed in Latin America and Jamaica for over 30 years. This music originated in Jamaica in the 1970s.  There, the producers changed reggae into something different,  focusing on the beat more instead of the melody.  They started to play their music on outdoor speaker systems. These outdoor venues would soon be called dancehall, and eventually the music would adopt that name.  The music was introduced to Latin America when Jamaican workers went to Panama to work on the canal, and brought the music with them.  Dancehall changed after it was introduced to Latin America. The name switched back to reggae, the lyrics changed to Spanish, and the musi

Here I am in my “thinker” pose Shrunken Heads Before reading you need to know that it might be hard to read about this and even harder to look at the pictures. I know that it was hard for me to stay in the exhibit in the museum. You also need to know about these spirits: Wakani- human soul.  Survives death Arutam- vision or power that protects humans Muisak- vengeful spirit who comes out when a person who has Arutam is murdered What is a shrunken head? A shrunken head is an actual human head that has been shrunken by the process described below.  It was used for religious reasons.  It is called a Tsantsa.  It was sometimes used to scare off enemies.  A shrunken head is never a woman’s or child’s head. Who shrunk heads? In the Ecuadorian amazon rainforest, the Shuar and the Achuar tribes used to shrink heads. Why did they shrink heads? Not for personal revenge.  To maintain social equilibrium after a murder.  To reestablish the cosmic cycle.  They didn’t want the Muisak spirit to use it

Some have asked how I am passing my time while unemployed. The answer is that I have no trouble filling up a day that starts as a blank slate. I have been studying, volunteering, adventuring, and now, painting. I knew that I wanted to explore creative interests during this time, so for the past couple of months, I have allowed myself to dive in. As some of you know, I have been dabbling in watercolor for the past couple of years, mostly exploring landscapes and mountains. I am intrigued and intimidated by the flow and spontaneity that the medium necessitates. I have enjoyed looking at the world through a lens of light and shadow. I have challenged myself to see shape and color rather than familiar form. I try to approach painting with a spirit of curiosity and exploration rather than any sort of expectation. I got the idea for my project Faces of Cuenca because I wanted to try portrait painting. I have long wanted to paint people but been too scared to try. This, I figured, was my opp

Since I’ve been in Ecuador, I’ve noticed a lot of different clothing. I have noticed that people wear different clothing in different parts of Ecuador. In every part of Ecuador, you will see people wearing jeans and t-shirts, but in each region there are also traditional types of clothing. In Ecuador, the three main regions are the coast, the mountains and the jungle. In each region, there are different traditional clothing. Today I am going to be telling you all about these different types of dress.  The coast is hot and the traditional dress is designed for a hot climate. It is white with bright colors and is made out of loose, light weight material. The women wear white and light blue dresses and the men wear white pants and light shirts. They wear straw hats with wide brims.  Models of people from Esmeraldas province on the coast The jungle is hot too and people live close to the rivers. They wear less clothing than people in other parts of Ecuador.  In traditional communities,