La Cosmovisión Indígena del Volcán Cotopaxi

One of the most impressive peaks of the Ecuadorian Andes has always been the Cotopaxi volcano which is a central figure for some indigenous communities in the highlands region. For the kichwa’s people and other ancestral ethnicities who live in the slopes and surroundings of this colossus, the Cotopaxi is not only a simple mountain. In their worldview, this volcano goes beyond its physical existence to become a powerful deity, an apu, or a mountain spirit which has a direct impact on their lives, beliefs, and the way they understand the world. This view does not only allow them to comprehend the spiritual meaning of the apus, but furthermore it reveals how the territory is conceived by the Andean communities as a living and organized space from symbolic and sacred references.