The celebration of Saint John the Baptist in Northern Ecuador, or the ritual making and fostering of ethnic identity

This paper describes and analyses the celebration of Saint John the Baptist (San Juan) among the indigenous villagers of Northern Ecuador. Through time, the changing ethnic, social and economic boundaries have been incorporated into, and reflected by the celebration of San Juan. San Juan stands at the apex of a ordered indigenous universe, and every year in June Kichwa peasants organize a celebration in his honour. The paper argues that this celebration is a way to manifest people’s devotion to the saint, and also an important opportunity to reinforce and ritually map ethnic differences.