Maybe you learned about Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), or you saw the movie Coco. If so, you know about the Mexican holiday where people remember the family members who are no longer with them. Ecuador has its own version of this that also happens at the beginning of November. When the Spanish came and saw the way the indigenous people interacted with their departed family members, they were shocked. The people would disinter the bodies from their burial vaults to dress them up, eat with them, and sing to them. It was a way of reviving the memory of lost loved ones. It seems shocking to us, but it was an important ritual for them.
The Spanish, mainly the priests who converted the indigenous people, convinced them to end this practice. The compromise was to make replicas to represent the departed. They started making figures out of bread. These are the guaguas. Guagua means “baby”, because that is the noise they make when they cry. It is like saying “wah-wah” in English. Today the guagaus are decorated with icing and look so cute! They are served with a purple drink called colada morada. It is a thick drink of purple corn meal, spices, chunks of fruit (often pineapple and blackberry). It can be served cold or hot. With the spices, I think it tastes better when it’s warm.
I arrived in Quito in mid-October. The November Day of the Dead celebration was my first introduction to Ecuadorian food culture. It was fun to see all the signs advertising the many places serving colada morada and panaderías with guaguas de pan.
Ecuadorians love bread and coffee.
