Ecuador: The Andean reinvention of cumbia

3 hours ago 4

Celebration of San Juanes in Cotacachi, province of Imbabura, Ecuador. The Cumbia Andina is a mixture of indigenous rythms from the north of the country, such as San Juanitos played and danced to during the celebrations, and Colombian cumbia.

Celebration of San Juanes in Cotacachi, province of Imbabura, Ecuador on July 1, 2024. The Cumbia Andina is a mixture of Indigenous rhythms from the north of the country, such as San Juanitos, played and danced to during the celebrations, and Colombian cumbia. Karla Gachet hide caption

toggle caption

Karla Gachet

This is part of a special series, Cumbia Across Latin America, a visual report across six countries developed over several years, covering the people, places and cultures that keep this music genre alive.

The first cumbia recorded in Ecuador at the end of the 1960s had only one verse. It was called "Cumbia Triste" and was written by Polibio Mayorga. This musician from Ambato, Ecuador, tropicalized the national music of the Ecuadorian highlands, which had long been stigmatized for its Indigenous roots and the sad melodies often associated with them. Mayorga combined the rhythms of the San Juanito — traditional Andean music — with rural Colombian cumbia, which arrived in Ecuador via the record industry, already processed and whitewashed. The result marked a new identity for many provincial migrants who came to populate the country's urban centers.

View of the volcanoe Tungurahua in the province of Imbabura. The Cumbia Andina is a mixture of indigenous rythms from the north of the country and Colombian cumbia.

A view of the Tungurahua volcano in Equador's Imbabura province on July 2, 2024. Karla Gachet hide caption

toggle caption

Karla Gachet

Dancers at the celebration of San Juanes in Cotacachi, Imbabura, Ecuador, on June 30, 2024. Karla Gachet hide caption

toggle caption

Karla Gachet

The celebration of San Juanes in Cotacachi, Imbabura, Ecuador, on July 1, 2024. Karla Gachet hide caption

toggle caption

Karla Gachet

The Cumbia orchestra “Los Cumbancheros” do a presentation near the city of Riobamba in the Andes of Ecuador. They are one of the bands that originated from the legendary Don Medardo y sus Players, the orchestra started by Medardo Luzuriaga.

People get together at a park in Lican, Chimborazo, Ecuador, on Jan. 1, 2024, for a Los Cumbancheros concert in honor of the Divino Niño, or baby Jesus. Modern devotion to the Divino Niño originated in Bogotá, Colombia, in the early 20th century — another example of Colombian influence in the region. Karla Gachet hide caption

toggle caption

Karla Gachet

While Polibio Mayorga laid the groundwork for an Ecuadorian cumbia sound, it was musicians like Medardo Luzuriaga who transformed the genre into a national sensation. His son Manuel Luzuriaga plays for the cumbia orchestra Los Cumbancheros and when he talks about his father, his eyes shine. Medardo was Manuel's teacher and one of the most respected musicians in the history of cumbia orchestras in Ecuador. At the end of the '60s, Medardo created the orchestra Don Medardo y sus Players. Medardo recorded more than 100 albums, and his emblematic cumbias, including "Cumbia Chonera" and "La Novia," still live in the collective conscience of the entire country. Many of his children and grandchildren created multiple orchestras after his death, all still playing his golden repertoire.

Geovanni Vivas, a trombonist, and Bryan Torres, a bassist in the Los Cumbancheros orchestra, prepare to perform a New Year's Eve show in the Andean town of Quero, Ecuador, on Dec. 31, 2023. The concert took place in the town's central plaza. Karla Gachet hide caption

toggle caption

Karla Gachet

Manuel Luzuriaga aka as Garabito is the son of Don Medardo Luzuriaga and part of the original orchestra. He broke off from the family orchestra and started his own, Los Cumhancheros together with his nephhew.

Manuel Luzuriaga, also known as Garabito, sits on a bus with his band, Los Cumhancheros, on Dec. 31, 2023. Luzuriaga is the son of Medardo Luzuriaga and was part of the original Don Medardo y sus Players orchestra before he broke away to start his own with his nephew. Karla Gachet hide caption

toggle caption

Karla Gachet

Ricardo Luzuriaga, manager of Los Cumbancheros and grandson of Don Medardo Luzuriaga, prepares as the band gets ready to perform a New Year’s Eve show in the Andean town of Quero, Ecuador, on Dec. 31, 2023.

Ricardo Luzuriaga, the manager of Los Cumbancheros and one of Medardo Luzuriaga's grandsons, prepares as the band gets ready to perform a New Year's Eve show in the Andean town of Quero, Ecuador, on Dec. 31, 2023. Karla Gachet hide caption

toggle caption

Karla Gachet

The Cumbia orchestra Los Cumbancheros perform near the city of Riobamba in the Andes of Ecuador on Jan. 1, 2024. Karla Gachet hide caption

toggle caption

Karla Gachet

The people from the town of Tiwintza in the Amazonia of Ecuador, dance to the rythm of the Los Cumbancheros orchestra. They are one of the bands that originated from the legendary Don Medardo y sus Players, the orchestra started by Medardo Luzuriaga.

People from the town of Tiwintza, a district in Ecuador's Morona Santiago province, dance to the rhythm of the Los Cumbancheros orchestra on Oct. 24, 2023. Karla Gachet hide caption

toggle caption

Karla Gachet

Estafanny Guerrero has wanted to be a "Canelita" since she was 5 years old. Standing with her boots and red hair extensions on the table, she sang the songs of Tierra Canela, a female tecnocumbia group that hires young women from all over the country. Thousands participated in the latest callout to find new members. Some musicians and spectators criticize the group, saying they're just pretty faces and sexy bodies, but they spend long hours in singing and dancing classes, and can fire up any audience. Tecnocumbia, a product of mass consumption, mixes Indigenous rhythms from Ecuador and Peru to make them danceable.

La agraupacion Tierra Canela hace compras antes de presentarse cerca de Ambato. Sus canciones de amor y desamor eran coreadas por todo el bar. Sus pasos de tecnocumbia ya se han vuelto virales a través de todas las clases sociales ecuatorianas. Tierra Canela es una agrupación con 25 años de trayectoria en la que las intergantes al llegar a cierta edad son reemplazadas por mujeres mas jóvenes. The Tierra Canela group offers a concert in an LGTQ bar in Quito, Ecuador. The group has become an icon for this demographic. Their songs of love and heartbreak were chanted throughout the bar. Tierra Canela’s technocumbia steps have gone viral across all Ecuadorian social classes. Tierra Canela is a group with 25 years of trajectory in which the women, upon reaching a certain age, are replaced by younger ones.

Members of Tierra Canela shop before performing near Ambato on Dec. 8, 2023. Karla Gachet hide caption

toggle caption

Karla Gachet

Estefanny Guerrero y Johanna Quistial, se prueban sus nuevos trajes con la ayuda de su manager el 22 de Diciembre del 2023. Las integrantes de la agrupación Tierra Canela usan trajes de colores brillante y botas de taco alto. Todos los trajes son confeccionados localmente. Sus managers cuidan mucho su imagen. Tierra Canela es una agrupación con 25 años de trayectoria en la que las intergantes al llegar a cierta edad son reemplazadas por mujeres mas jóvenes. Estefanny Guerrero and Johanna Quistial try on their new outfits with the help of their manager on December 22, 2023. The members of the Tierra Canela group wear brightly colored outfits and high-heeled boots. All suits are made locally. Their managers help them maintain a certain look. Tierra Canela is a group with 25 years of trajectory in which the women, upon reaching a certain age, are replaced by younger ones.

Estefanny Guerrero and Johanna Quistial try on their new outfits with the help of their manager on Dec. 22, 2023. Members of Tierra Canela wear brightly colored, locally made outfits and high-heeled boots. Karla Gachet hide caption

toggle caption

Karla Gachet

Elizabeth Nuñez (left), the latest member of the technocumbia group Tierra Canela, and Estefanny Guerrero travel in a minibus to various locations in Ecuador. The minibus doubles as a dressing room, dining room, and bed for the group members. Elizabeth Nuñez (izquierda), la última en ingresar al grupo Tierra Canela y Estefanny Guerrero, viajan en un mini bus hacia varias locaciones del Ecuador. El mini bus se convierte en camerino, comedor y cama para las integrantes de la agrupación.

Elizabeth Nuñez and Guerrero travel in a minibus in Ecuador on Dec. 9, 2023. The bus doubles as a dressing room, dining room and bed for members of Tierra Canela. Karla Gachet hide caption

toggle caption

Karla Gachet

La agraupacion Tierra Canela ofrece un concierto en un bar LGTBI en Quito, Ecuador. El grupo se ha vuelto un ícono de este movimiento, sobre todo para mujeres transgénero. Sus canciones de amor y desamor eran coreadas por todo el bar. Sus pasos de tecnocumbia ya se han vuelto virales a través de todas las clases sociales ecuatorianas. Tierra Canela es una agrupación con 25 años de trayectoria en la que las intergantes al llegar a cierta edad son reemplazadas por mujeres mas jóvenes. The Tierra Canela group offers a concert in an LGTQ bar in Quito, Ecuador. The group has become an icon for this demographic. Their songs of love and heartbreak were chanted throughout the bar. Tierra Canela’s technocumbia steps have gone viral across all Ecuadorian social classes. Tierra Canela is a group with 25 years of trajectory in which the women, upon reaching a certain age, are replaced by younger ones.

Tierra Canela performs at an LGTBQ bar in Quito, Ecuador, on Dec. 9, 2023. Karla Gachet hide caption

toggle caption

Karla Gachet

Guerrero eventually made it to Tierra Canela and still wears red hair extensions. The 31-year-old says that she plans to withdraw from the group soon — to avoid being kicked out for being "too old." The group's managers prefer its members, who are often supporting their families, conceal their real ages and not disclose whether they're mothers or if they have boyfriends in interviews.

El grupo Tierra Canela fue contratado para la fiesta del personal de un hospital en Ambato, Ecuador, el 10 de diciembre del 2023. Sus canciones de amor y desamor son coreadas por el público Sus pasos de tecnocumbia ya se han vuelto virales a través de todas las clases sociales ecuatorianas. Tierra Canela es un grupo con 25 años de trayectoria en el que las intérpretes, al cumplir cierta edad, son reemplazados por mujeres más jóvenes. The technocumbia performers, Tierra Canela, were hired for the party of the staff of a hospital in Ambato, Ecuador, on December 10, 2023. Their songs of love and heartbreak were chanted by the public. Their technocumbia steps have gone viral throughout all Ecuadorian social classes. Tierra Canela is a group with 25 years of experience in which the performers, upon reaching a certain age, are replaced by younger women.

Tierra Canela perform for staff at Hospital Básico San Miguel in Ambato, Ecuador, on Dec. 10, 2023. The audience chanted their songs of love and heartbreak, and their technocumbia steps have gone viral across Ecuador. Karla Gachet hide caption

toggle caption

Karla Gachet

Fabi from Tierra Canela is hugged by the crowd during a concert they gave near Ambato, Ecuador. On this day, the group had four presentations in different cities drving fast from place to place.

Fabiana Buenaire Vilche, one of Tierra Canela's former members, is embraced by a crowd of fans during a concert on Dec. 9, 2023, near Ambato, Ecuador. Karla Gachet hide caption

toggle caption

Karla Gachet

Fabiola, part of Tierra Canela lays on the ground with the daughter of another member of the group. They are exhausted after a long day of work.

Vilche lays on the ground, exhausted after a long day of work, with Sharit Hernandez, the daughter of another member of the group, on Dec. 27, 2023. Karla Gachet hide caption

toggle caption

Karla Gachet

This coverage was made with the support of the National Geographic Society Explorer program.

Karla Gachet is a photojournalist based in Los Angeles. You can see more of Karla's work on her website, KarlaGachet.com, or on Instagram at @kchete77.

Read Entire Article