Proefschrift--Universiteit Leiden, 2001. / Contient un résumé en anglais. Bibliogr. p.260-281. Glossaire.

Thesis--Wisconsin. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [244]-252).

My thesis is about the life and traditions of the Otavalo Indians in Ecuador. It aims to explain how important it is for them to be succesful in the modern world. The goal of this thesis is to find out how the Otavalo Indians present themselves in the context of their development and advancement of the travel industry in Ecuador, and the rest of the world, and what kind of means they use to achieve it. An example of this can be the way they present themselves in social media and how they are able to attract tourists to Otavalo. To answer my research question I mostly used English and Spanish literature, internet resources and social media. For the Otavalo Indians, it is important to be successful in the modern world, so as to preserve old traditions. The Otavalos are recognised as extremely competent textile makers and retail sellers who travel the world selling their products. Today, Otavalo is a modern city and a popular destination for tourists visiting Ecuador. The Market Place, where products were sold before the Incas arrived, has been modernised in order to satisfy current needs. The Otavalo Indians are deeply connected to their traditions, and therefore blend them with new technological demands and advances. The Otavalos were able to survive the dominancy of the Incas and later on of the...