Intercultural Processes in Kichwa Governed Municipalities in Northern Ecuador

Resumen

Although Ecuador's Indigenous movement has had mixed political success at the national level, the municipalities of Otavalo and Cotacachi have had Kichwa mayors since 2000 and 1996, respectively. Both of these communities are ethnically mixed, and an important element of Kichwa political success has been politicians' abilities to promote intercultural alliances. The policies and strategies that these Kichwa-led municipalities have implemented suggest that interculturality goes beyond coalition building and implies instead a desire and ability to borrow from multiple cultural traditions. At the same time, the efforts of these municipal governments reflect and contribute to those intercultural efforts that are altering relations in the country between ethnic groups as well as contributing to internal changes about what it means to be Indigenous in contemporary Ecuador.