"Azuayo-Cañari Mythology" a fascinating story by Oswaldo Encalada
On March 14, the University of Azuay together with its Publishing House presented the book “Azuaya-Cañari Mythology” by author Oswaldo Encalada, an event that is framed within the fulfillment of the sustainable development objectives, mainly objective 4: Quality Education.
The event was attended by authorities, teachers, administrative staff and students from our university community, friends and family of the author.
Azuayo-Cañari Mythology is a research that collects various manifestations of regional culture in the intangible sphere, and that have to do, fundamentally, with the creations that explain part of the worldview of the inhabitants of this area of the country.
Some mythological figures and entities are very old, such as the Huaca mother; and others seem to come from the mestizo background of the culture. Sometimes they seem like simple superstitions to us, certain unusual and unclear fears that affect us in some way; but there are also the positive aspects, as in the case of the messengers of good.
The welcome speech was given by our rector Francisco Salgado, who mentioned that this book highlights fundamental elements of culture and they will be captured in these pages, recognizing the immense contribution of this story for our university community.
The presentation of the book was made by Gabriela Eljuri, coordinator of the Anthropology degree, pointing out that this story compiles various versions of myths and legends doomed to their disappearance, compared to the reconstruction of a mosaic, in the author's words "a puzzle that can only be be read from the past and present fractures.”
The official launch of the book was carried out by the author, Oswaldo Encalada, a renowned teacher and writer in our university community.
This book is an important contribution to the studies of tradition and the intangible cultural heritage of our region.
