Politics News

Eric Castro asked:


January 04 1837

This was a big day for Darwin. Today he gave his first speech before the Royal Geological Society in London. He was very nervous! All the experts in geology were there and this was Darwin’s big chance to prove himself to his peers. The topic of his paper was on the gradual raising of South America over eons of time. He concluded that as land masses raise upward, the nearby ocean floor subsides, and that the animals on the raising continent somehow or another adapt to these very slow changes (at this time Darwin had no idea how this happened). This theory represented a shift away from Lyell’s theory which stated that animals cannot adapt, but rather die out and are replaced with new species. This was one of the earliest signs that Darwin was beginning to develop his own theories, going beyond his mentors. The speech, by the way, was received very well by nearly all the geologists there.

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Eric Castro asked:


The inhabitants are between two and three hundred in number; they are nearly all people of colour, who have been banished for political crimes from the Republic of the Equator, of which Quito is the capital. The settlement is placed about four and a half miles inland, and at a height probably of a thousand feet. In the first part of the road we passed through leafless thickets, as in Chatham Islands at Galapagos Islands.

Higher up, the woods gradually became greener; and as soon as we crossed the ridge of the Galapagos islands, we were cooled by a fine southerly breeze, and our sight refreshed by a green and thriving vegetation. In this upper region coarse grasses and ferns abound; but there are no tree-ferns: I saw nowhere any member of the palm family, which is the more singular, as 360 miles northward, Cocos Island takes its name from the number of cocoa-nuts. The houses are irregularly scattered over a flat space of ground, which is cultivated with sweet potatoes and bananas. It will not easily be imagined how pleasant the sight of black mud was to us, after having been so long, accustomed to the parched soil of Peru and northern Chile.

The inhabitants, although complaining of poverty, obtain, without much trouble, the means of subsistence. In the woods there are many wild pigs and goats; but the staple article of animal food is supplied by the tortoises. Their numbers have of course been greatly reduced in this Galapagos islands, but the people yet count on two days’ hunting giving them food for the rest of the week. It is said that formerly single vessels have taken away as many as seven hundred, and that the ship’s company of a frigate some years since brought down in one day two hundred tortoises to the beach.

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Eric Castro asked:


The International Galapagos Tour Operators Association (IGTOA) and the Ecuadorian Association of Galapagos Tour Operators (ASOGAL) have undertaken a campaign to promote the best training and coaching both in natural history and languages, for the Galapagos Naturalist Guides. Metropolitan Touring fully supports this campaign. Metropolitan Touring’s guides are Naturalists, who have undergone a thorough process of selection and training and are constantly improving their skills under the direction of the ship’s Expedition Managers and the “in-situ” coaching by our Galápagos Expedition Manager.

Our team of Naturalist Guides is formed by 12 full-time exclusive Metropolitan Touring guides plus a team of free-lancers, that are constantly being trained by our staff on board, in order to achieve the Galapagos Expedition Experience that we want to convey to our guests. We are eagerly awaiting the next promotion of Galapagos Naturalist Guides who will complete their studies and internship at the Galapagos National Park by the end of January 2006. The best ones are to be incorporated to our Galápagos team. During the first three quarters of 2005, guest satisfaction rates with the Galapagos Expedition component show 95.57% for the MV SANTA CRUZ Galapagos Cruise and 98.92% for Yacht ISABELA II Galapagos Cruise. We are proud of our Expedition Staff!

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Eric Castro asked:


The Church of The Compania of Jesus in Quito has been catalogued by UNESCO among the hundred most important World Heritage Site Monuments in the world. After an integral restoration, which took 12 years at a cost of 4.5 million dollars, this magnificent temple was reopened to the public the second week of December, and can now be viewed in its entire splendor.

The building of La Compania de Jesus Church Quito Colonial jewel started in 1605 and was finished in 1650. The restoration was both structural and artistic, in its 4500 square meters. Its interior, entirely gilded, shines like a jewel and its paintings, sculptures, altars, cupola and pulpit have been carefully illuminated so that all details can be appreciated. There are 44 paintings and 56 sculptures of the School of Art of Quito.

Among the most important paintings are those of the 16 Prophets by Nicolas Gorivar in the central columns and the large ones depicting the Final Judgment and Hell at each side of the entrance.

The church is a magnificent example of the extraordinary artistic ability of the Ecuadorian artisans; with profusely carved altars covered with gold leaf, and the sculptures by Legarda of the Holy Trinity in the main altar and Saint Ignacio and Saint Francis in the side altars.

The Compania of Jesus is the best sample of the American Baroque, one of the richest and most extraordinary temples of South America. The visit to La Compania is included in the Scenic Tour of Quito that Metropolitan Touring offers daily. Don’t miss it!.

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Eric Castro asked:


The Kichwa indigenous groups that inhabit the Otavalo area celebrate four great festivals that coincide with the two solstices and the two equinoxes. These festivals – each with its corresponding rituals and symbols — are tied to the Andean agricultural cycle and specifically to corn or maize, a symbol of fertility. Corn is an essential symbol of the cultural festivals in Otavalo.

The festivity of Yamor or Koya Raimi is a celebration to Mother Earth that coincides with the Autumn Equinox in September, when Otavalo Indigenous people thank Mother Earth

The rituals for preparation of the land for planting begin in September, when the energy and the power of the sun is absorbed by the seeds that return to the earth and guard the mysteries of the beginning of life. The start of the rainy season in Ecuador highlands nurtures the seeds.

During Yamor, a special beverage, prepared only for these celebrations, is made from seven varieties of dried corn or jora (popcorn, chulpi, hominy, yellow maize, white maize, red maize and black maize) . The preparation of the chicha de jora is a special ritual, sacred and apt to be offered to Mother Earth.

Events during the Yamor festivities include parades, the election of the Yamor Queen, and a festival of folk dances; bullfights, cockfights, competitions and more.

Everyone is welcome to join the Yamor festivities in Otavalo, the city where the famous Indian market takes place all year round. Currently, the festivities are a fusion of the pre-Hispanic traditions with the religiousness brought by the Spanish. Otavaleños feel a deep compromise to perpetuate and joyfully celebrate the eternal cycle of life. Live this unique cultural experience!

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Eric Castro asked:


On Sunday February 12th, we celebrate Charles Darwin’s birthday. On board our Galápagos cruises we are having a series of commemorating events that will bring us together with Charles Darwin’s legacy. Of course, the Galápagos Islands are an icon in Darwin’s life, and certainly a strong foundation for the development of the theory of natural selection, commonly known as the Theory of Evolution. Our ships’ itineraries also visit the islands the HMS Beagle voyaged back in 1835.

This year our events have been accepted by the Darwin Day Organization (www.darwinday.org) as the only events from any Ecuadorian organization commemorating the Darwin Day Celebration.. Through this web site, we receive immediate coverage of our rewarding events, and we are glad to see ourselves next to other important organizations of the World. This initiative should lead the way to the year 2009 where once-in-a-lifetime events will occur: Charles Darwin’s Bicentennial (1809-2009), and the 150th Anniversary of the publication of the Origin of Species (1859-2009). Another event of significant relevance is for sure February 12th, 1832, the year the Galápagos Islands were officially declared an insular territory of Ecuador. Such possession was issued by our first President, General Juan José Flores.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR. CHARLES DARWIN…!

To see our international participation in the Darwin Day Celebration, visit: http://www.darwinday.org/englishL/home/2006.php

For general information about Charles Darwin, visit:http://www.aboutdarwin.com/index.html

For information regarding the Voyage of the Beagle in Galápagos, visit: http://www.aboutdarwin.com/voyage/voyage08.html

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