About Faith: Living With Volcanoes

In 1802 Alexander Von Humbolt visited Ecuador, and among major scientific discoveries, left his famous quote: "Ecuadorians are strange and unique beings: They sleep peacefully surrounded by roaring volcanoes, they live poor among incomparable riches, and they become happy listening to sad music.”

I'm a born-and-raised Ecuadorian, and the stuff about the music and the riches makes me smile. The stuff about the roaring volcanoes makes me queasy. How do we live so peacefully among active volcanoes? I have wondered about this my entire life, and most recently, throughout my reporting trip. 

After talking to people, reading, and re-learning the origin of traditions that I grew up with, I stumbled upon a theory: faith. 

We are faithful that Someone or Something beyond humanity is looking out for us and will protect us from eruptions. This is apparent in a multitude of ways.

Mulalo, one of the towns in my reporting, is home to a massive display of faith: Chilintosa, a 20-foot boulder that is believed to have been brought there during the 1877 Cotopaxi volcano eruption. A 12-foot mural on its side displays a painting of the Virgen de la Merced (Virgin Mary of Mercy), who is believed to have stopped multiple Cotopaxi eruptions. The mural is accompanied by a prayer. But the display of faith does not end there. 

Every year, community members in and around Latacunga, another town in my reporting, participate in a yearly pilgrimage of 32 kilometers [20 miles] to Chilintosa as a way to thank the Virgin Mary for her unwavering protection. 

The Mama Negra festival is another display of faith. This annual event in Latacunga honors and thanks the Virgin Mary of Mercy for stopping the force of nature and protecting Latacunga in 1742.  This representation of the Virgin Mary was deemed Abogada y Patrona del Volcán (Advocate and Patron of the Volcano). 

In this current eruptive cycle, maybe she will continue to advocate for these places. If you ask me, she might be doing it by filling our country with experts and activists who are building infrastructure to reduce volcano damage. Or she might be doing it by ensuring that lahars—volcanic debris flows—leave a mark on their paths, so we are aware where they will go and will know the right places to build infrastructure. 

Whether she is protecting us now or if she protected us in the first place, we will never know for sure. But what we do know is that Ecuador has never been better equipped to handle a Cotopaxi eruption.