UW Green Bay - Geography Department Travel Courses

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Travel Courses

The travel course introduces students to the diverse geographies and cultural realms found in Ecuador. The fifteen day course will expose students to the various ecological niches and biomes found in the Ecuadorean Andes and Amazonian basin, urban development and history, and ethnic/racial diversity of the country. Students will explore the ancient capital of Quito and its rich history, its pre-incaic origins, the northern administrative center of the Inca Empire, judicial center during the Spanish Colonial period and the nation's capital today. Quito, is the third highest capital city in the world at approximately 10,000 feet above sea level with a rich architectural history. Proclaimed by the United Nations to be a world heritage site in 1977, this bustling metropolis of two million inhabitants is surrounded by snow-capped mountains towering above 19,000 feet above sea level. Quito offers a unique look at urban development and history. We will visit the Equatorial Monument that divides the northern and southern hemispheres and the site of the French Condamine scientific expedition of the 18th century as well as the ancient Cara fortress taken over and expanded by the Inca 30 minutes away from Quito.

We will be travelling north to visit Otavalo, Ecuador, home to the Otavalo Quichua and visit the largest indigenous market in the Americas still functioning since pre-Inca times. We will visit the Inti Raymi Cultural Center dedicated to preserving and diffusing ethnic pride among Native American youth. On our trip to the north we will go Otavalo sacred spaces and learn about Otavalo Quichua rituals and creation stories. We will then fly south to Cuenca, the cultural capital of the country, and named a World Heritiage Site in 2001. There the students will explore the European influence in architecture, language and cuisine. They will also will explore Cuenca's ancient past as the capital of the Cañari, later it became the northern capital of the Inca Empire under Huayna Capac who designed the Inca city after Cuzco, its European Spanish and later Italian and French contributions to the urban landscape. Downtown Cuenca offers Cañari and Inca ruins and a strong historic preservation of colonial architecture as well as Italian architecture introduced at the beginning of this century. We will also hike up to Ingapirca, the largest Inca ruin complex in Ecuador.

The second week, will take the course down the Andes to the headwaters of the Amazon basin. Here students will explore the Ecuadorean frontier and the ecological and human problems associated with rapid growth and development in the rainforest. We will be travelling by bus, canoe to get around one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the world. We will explore issues of vernacular architecture and visit boom towns along the headwaters of the Amazon. We will also visit the botanical reserve administered by the Shuar and a fauna reserve under Swiss and Ecuadorean administration.

We will return to Quito for last minute souvenir buying to return back to Green Bay.
For further information contact Dr. Cruz at 465-2360 or at Cruzm@uwgb.edu.

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