Quechua Family in Cañaris

In this portrait of one of the Quechua families of Cañaris, the women stand out as the main holders of their cultural identity since the time when Inka rulers moved the population from the Highlands of Ecuador to the Andes of Lambayeque. Today this population is responsible for the maintenance of the last and largest relict forests, on the western slope of the Peruvian Andes.
A nice example is the ancestral planning of the canals connecting the river La Leche with the river Chancay in order to avoid desertification of the area.
The non-nuclear families of the Quechua speaking people creates a wider and less conflicting environment for the growth of rural children. Several adults are in charge of taking care of all children with positive results for the entire family.