Research Paper

This is a research paper that I did for a client back in 2021

Every country is endowed with unique cultural practices that define its people’s ways of life (Gaspar et al, 2016). Ecuador, situated in the west coast of the South American continent, is a culturally diverse country. The World Bank estimates that the country is home to nearly 17.08 million people according to the statistics obtained in 2018. This means the country has a robust culture as citizens from all its seven regions have unique sets of beliefs. It is important to discuss how one can obtain the cultural information of Ecuador in addition to establishing other aspects of the country’s culture that might affect its overall culture.

The United Nations is the first source of information relating to the Ecuadorian culture. As a member of the UN, Ecuador is home to five UNESCO World Heritage Sites meaning, the UN has extensively mapped the country to establish areas that should be designated and preserved as a way of acknowledging the country’s culture. According to UNESCO (2020), World Heritage Sites in Ecuador include City of Quito, Galapagos Island, Historic Centre of Santa Ana de los Rios de Cuenca, Sangay National Park, and Charles Darwin Research Station. These places provide a detailed glimpse of the Ecuadorian culture ranging from the country’s architecture from the previous centuries, colonial treasures, geographical beauty, and the traditions/culture of people living around these areas.

Another great source of information relating to the country’s culture is from the nation’s Ministry of Tourism. The country’s tourism board has done an outstanding job of highlighting the country’s tourist destinations, as well as the cultural practices and ceremonies of people residing in different regions of the country. Ecuador’s Ministry of Tourism (2020) documents the ruins of the Amerindian Culture, which was predominant in the country hundreds of years ago. It also gives one a glimpse of the people living in the Amazon rainforest, the Incan Ruins, and the Valdivian culture, all of which are great aspects of the Ecuadorian culture.

The country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is another source of information regarding the culture of Ecuador. Accordingly, this docket led by a minister, oversees the country’s international relations initiatives at the global stage. Businesses and foreign nationals interested in venturing into Ecuador can acquire a great wealth of information relating to human rights, social welfare, economic activities, diplomatic areas, security issues, systems of governance, and the way of life of the people of Ecuador from this ministry. All this information can be integral in making informed decisions about this country’s culture.

Accordingly, aside from Ecuador’s predominant religion and the language, the system of governance has a great influence on the culture of the people. According to Eskridge (2008), governments today inundate populations with campaigns and information and norms of what is expected of them as citizens. These directly influence on how the people will behave in the society. As a democratic republic, the Ecuadorian government provides incentives for conformity to rules and regulations. The government can thus be viewed as an opinion leader in Ecuador.

Carefully studying the history of Ecuador can be another significant source of information relating to the country’s culture. History relates to what the people believe are important and should be passed to future generations as has been done by previous generations. Some of the events of the past have greatly shaped the lives of people in the present times and these are always passed to the next generations. For instance, in Otavalo Market, one can easily appreciate how the art of making hand-crafted goods has been passed through generations. The peoples’ regalia, forms of art, and activities carried out during cultural events, are also reminiscent of the Amerindian culture, a native American Culture which dates to several hundreds of years ago.

References

Eskridge Jr, W. N. (2008). How Government Unintentionally Influences Culture (The Case of Same-Sex Marriage). Nw. UL Rev., 102, 495.

Ecuador Ministry of Tourism. (2020, August 13). Tourism in Ecuador: Ecuador. Retrieved November 18, 2020, from https://www.ecuador.com/travel/tourism/

Gaspar, J., Kolari, J., Hise, R., Bierman, L., & Smith, L. M. (2016). Introduction to global business: Understanding the international environment & global business functions. Nelson Education. Cengage Learning 2016 ISBN 978-1-305-50118-8

UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (2020). Ecuador. Retrieved November 18, 2020, from http://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/EC

World Bank. (2019). Ecuador: Overview. Retrieved November 18, 2020, from https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/ecuador/overview