Religion in Ecuador In the country of Ecuador 94-95% of the population identifies with the Roman Catholic religion.

The Catholic religion was first introduced by the second wave of Spaniards conquistadors. Their main purpose was to spread their beliefs unto other communities and the indigenous people whose ways were viewed as barbaric and sinful. Once situated and advancing in Ecuador, the Catholic religion become the first and religion to build school based on their belief system and developed other outlets in providing for the poor. They became known as one of the wealthiest religions within Ecuador through the act on donations. Although Catholicism is extremely popular with communities, the Sierra Indians adopted a few catholic beliefs and mixed them in with their own indigenous beliefs resulting in Folk Catholicism (Life-in-Ecuador.com). The remaining 5% of population identify with a different religion other than Catholicism; the Andean tribe has remained true to their ancestral beliefs in the mountains in which they dwell within. According to the Andean belief system, the mountains are known to have a direct connection with the fertility of individuals and land crops. The mountains are known as Mama and Taita for father.

The Catholic Religion within Ecuador has had a role in the development of its culture. There is the celebration of certain holidays as in the day of the dear and all souls day in where living family members socialize with the souls of their family members who have passed on and honor the Holy Death through the ingesting of special bread, special drinks, spices and fruits. The belief and non-belief in death has also shaped Ecuadors culture. For example, the Andean tribe believes that upon the death or near death experience of an individual is brought forward due to a visitation from either a demon from hell or saint from heave to claim their soul (Countries and Their Cultures). The Andeans believe in heaven, hell and purgatory; the good people go to heaven, those who did wrong go to hell and those who seek forgiveness and wait

to be purified remain in purgatory until they have been made pure through suffering and prayer. The indigenous tribes also have shaped the culture through the use of home remedies and tribal healers. As of 1998, traditional shamans and healers are considered the most powerful healer of the tribal communities. The catholic community of Ecuador have several well known sacred places in where their worship. First, located within the Old Town in Quito is the Iglesia de San Francisco; the citys first church. The building features a museum; an attached monastery and a massive alter in where people gather for worship. Another church within the same location is La Compania de Jesus; it features a 17th century layout was designed to attract the Incas due to the many sun symbols located within the structure. The third scared place in Ecuador is the Catedral Nueva. The cathedral itself took over 80 years to be built. The Renaissance-style structure features marble floors, alter, and stained-glass windows. There is no specific location given for this sacred place, but it has been estimated to be within the city limits of Quito based on the size of the Cathedral. The tribal non-catholic communities also have a few sacred places of their own, however the Ingapirca located outside of Cuenca is one of the few yet biggest surviving Inca ruins in Ecuador; it features Inca masonries. Just like the United States, the Ecuador government provides its citizens freedom of religion. According to Section 2 of Constitution the government believes in freedom of religion, and other laws and policies contributed to the generally free practice of religion (U.S. Department of State, Diplomacy in Action). The freedom of religion includes many provisions towards individuals who have different walks of faith. For example, the constitution grants all Ecuadorian citizens, foreigners and visitors the right to publicly practice the religion of their

choice. However, the government does not allow any type of religion instruction within a public school setting as a way to ensure all beliefs are respected and acknowledged.

This image depicts the top religions around the world. The country of Ecuador is shaded in purple resulting it to be a Christian nation; Catholic is considered a Christian religion.

Bibliography Countries and Their Cultures. (n.d.). Culture of Ecuador. Retrieved October 27, 2013, from http://www.everyculture.com/Cr-Ga/Ecuador.html Ecuador. (2010, November 17). U.S. Department of State. Retrieved October 25, 2013, from http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2010/148753.htm Ecuador Religion. (n.d.). Life-in-Ecuador.com. Retrieved October 26, 2013, from http://www.life-in-ecuador.com/ecuador-religion.html The Best Historic Sites. (n.d.). in Ecuador. Retrieved October 29, 2013, from http://www.frommers.com/destinations/ecuador/632163 Image: http://www.kidsmaps.com/geography/images/fullsized/religions-of-the-world.png