During my time abroad in Ecuador, I encountered many opportunities which challenged my perceptions of religion, as well as my own beliefs. I was told before this journey that my experiences would impact me for years to come. I myself am Christian, and my time in Ecuador has challenged my values and what it means for me to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.
When I first arrived in Ecuador, I could already see that religion and culture were very connected, such that it is almost impossible to separate the two. For example, family and community are an integral part of cultural values and ideals, so much so that time is spent with loved ones in the town plaza just sitting and enjoying the ambience with family members. In this setting, every plaza surrounds a central church of the town or parish. These values that surround family also coincide with the religiosity of the people, as well as the prominence of the Catholic Church in the country and the region of Latin America. Another example that greatly impacted me was my experience with limpias or cleanings. Cleanings are spiritual practices done in order to remove bad energy or spirits from one’s body, such as the flu. These practices come from longstanding indigenous practices that continue until this day, which also have Catholic influences. Many times, limpias are done with herbs and plants while the individual who conducts the limpia is praying.
A cross in Ecuador
Catholicism’s impact extends beyond culture, where it also impacts daily life and politics. During my time in the capital, Quito, I had the opportunity to experience International Women’s Day. There were large-scale marches occurring throughout the capital, as well as the entire country. It was interesting to see the role of the Catholic Church in the debate for women’s rights, particularly in the conversations about abortion. As I watched the marches, I saw that many women were marching for the right to abortion, while many counter-protestors were drawing on Catholic influences. It goes without saying that the Catholic Church has had a strong influence and role in Latin America and Ecuador for hundreds of years and that this influence will continue for many generations to come. My time in Ecuador has made me consider how Christianity and Catholicism impact politics within the United States, my country of birth. I have found that the current two-party system which the United States upholds continues to draw divisions among lay people. It has been said many times that it is impossible to remove Christianity from the United States’ public and political systems, and I happen to think this point also applies to what I have seen thus far during my time in Ecuador.
A Church in El Quinche
The frameworks of Ecuadorian society resemble my experiences within my city of Lawrence, Massachusetts, particularly when it comes to class, ethnicity, and religion. During my family homestay in the outskirts of Quito, I visited the town El Quinche, which is particularly famous among Catholic believers for the apparition of the Virgin Mary, or La Virgen de El Quinche. During my visit of El Quinche, I met a family of Protestant believers who had recently converted from Catholicism to Pentecostal Protestantism. This conversion reflects larger trends within the working class population of this town, as I learned from this family I encountered. I learned that the Pentecostal and evangelical churches have made efforts within media publications and through various local churches to focus on working class families. This fact also makes me consider how the evolving religious context in Ecuador is connected to the evolving context within the United States. Many of the protestant churches which are appearing in Ecuador are being supported by American evangelicals. It is intriguing to consider how the evolving religious paradigms of Ecuador also reflect a new wave of U.S. influence in the country.
It has been an incredible experience living abroad in Ecuador and experiencing religion through the various facets of culture, society, and politics. As I have lived with various host families and traveled to various areas of the country, I have come to see the various manifestations of religion throughout Ecuadorian life, culture, and society.
Destiny Carlisle (C’25) is an undergraduate student in the College of Arts & Sciences majoring in Spanish and minoring in Latin American studies. Destiny is particularly interested in economic development, social justice, and how history and politics interact in these fields. She is involved in various initiatives on and off campus to expand dialogue, campus philanthropy, and social mobilization through organizations such as Georgetown International Relations Club and the Washington English Center. She is also a board member and director for Georgetown’s Hoyas for Immigrant Rights organization in conjunction with the Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching & Service. In her free time, Destiny loves to express herself through song and dance, language learning, and photography. Destiny studied abroad in Quito, Ecuador, through the SIT Ecuador: Development, Politics, and Languages program. She was a part of the spring 2024 Doyle Global Dialogue cohort.
