Saraguros in Spain

• 1998: First arrivals--two men (influence of Spanish priests in Saraguro)
• 1999: December:300 Saraguros in Spain ; (influence of the first arrivals) total absence of children
• 2001: 1000 Saraguros in Spain (lots of children; including Spanish born babies)
• 2002/2003: Hundreds of Saraguros celebrate New Year's Eve in Vera (Almeria) Total in Spain = 2000?

Overview: Saraguro Migration, Exploration and Travel in the 1900s

• Early 1900s: Saraguro colonization of upper Amazon Begins (and continues into 2000s)

Why Spain Now?

Push Factors (from Ecuador)

• Great increases in population; heavy pressure on the land
• By late 1900s many Saraguros have lost rural self-sufficient life style, but have gained education
• Ecuadorian economy crashes

Pull Factors (to Spain)

• Spain: Spanish speaking, Catholic
• Easy entry; no visa necessary for travel to Spain; go as tourists
• Explosion of Industrial Agriculture (including drip irrigation and "plasticultura") in formerly poor areas of coastal Spain creates area with high demand for labor.

Going to Spain

• Getting the word out about Spain from family, friends through personal and phone contact
• Getting funds together: selling property, high interest loans, travel agents, etc
• The "bolsa" (cash and credit cards required for "tourist" entry)

Work in Spain

• Most in agriculture: oranges, asparagus, eggplants, zucchini, tomatoes, olives [all of these are NEW crops for Saraguros] sheep and goats, etc
• Wages: ($3 per hour compared to $3 per day in Saraguro) seasonality and other work conditions
• Legalization (landowners assist in getting residency work permits)
• Example: tomatoe sharecropping [details: landowner provides plasticultura greenhouses + water
• Saraguros provide tomato plants + labor. 75,000 plants x 20 pounds of tomatoes per plant. When tomatoes sold, profits split 50-50]

Living in Spain

• Keeping community: Morata a Saraguro 'center' : volibol competitions there on Sundays. ( This sport is very popular in Saraguro, and among Saraguros in Ecuadorian urban centers.)
• Diet: mostly rice (no mote!); substitute rabbit for cuy (roast in fireplace in homes)
• Churches and Fiestas: Priest and nuns in Vera are very supportive; but church attendance in major decline.
• Adults all say residence in Spain is temporary, but some children/young people are likely to stay there.

Links with Saraguro

• Back and forth travel
• Sending money back, (remesas/remittances=number 1 source of income for Ecuador? Or, number 2, after oil)

Back in Saraguro

• Many kids left behind with relatives
• Return cash flow (remittances) = purchase of land and vehicles + new home construction
• Resentment of those who have stayed behind who work to maintain community life without the help of the young emigrant males (especially)

Being Saraguro in Spain: The Role of Ethnic and National Identity

• Are Ecuadorians as well as Saraguros
• Visual distinctiveness (especially hair style--jimba) problem for males and children in schools, subject to teasing
• Benefit of visual distinctiveness: Saraguro reputation for honesty, hard work, flexibility, gets them hired easily + they practice mutual assistance within Saraguro group: they help Saraguro who arrives, even if not personally known.

OVERVIEW: Is Migration to Spain Positive or Negative?

Negative: risks of failure (refused admission into Spain), loss of considerable money for travel expenses; family separation, break-up, unfaithfulness etc. Radical culture change, especially among youth raised mainly in Spain. Loss of participation in home communities.

Positive: better sources of income; savings possible for new enterprises in Ecuador; purchase of more land, vehicles, houses in Ecuador; possible acquisition of new knowledge and skills in the work place; better education for the children; more knowledgable about the world---creates a greater appreciation for the positive features of life in Saraguro.