Cañar Animal Market

Two and half years ago, in November 2012, we attempted to visit the animal market in Cañar, which is 70 km NE of Cuenca at 10,400 ft elevation, and  is supposed to be the largest such market in Southern Ecuador.  Unfortunately, our driver that day did not understand what we wanted, and by the time we got there (around noon), the market was closed.  Today we finally went back, and this time, it was a success.

The weather looked like rain was imminent all morning, but it stayed dry, allowing us to roam freely with our cameras to capture the unfolding scene.  This is a market where farmers come to sell their animals.  Some buyers are other farmers, here to purchase stock for their farms. Others are butchers, here to buy animals ready for your table.

As you enter the market area, the first thing you see are pigs.  Hundreds of pigs.  From piglets that make you think of pets, up to 200+ pound monsters that remind you more of horses.  The smaller pigs are often forced to go where the buyer wants by pulling on one leg, while the larger ones require a lot more muscle and teamwork.  While waiting for sale, most of the pigs are quiet and patiently standing.  Once a sale is made, and the pig is hauled off to the new owner, the oinks pierce the air, and sound an awful lot like they are squealing “NNNNOOOOO!!!!” 🙂

We observed many transactions, as buyers were shoving money into the vendors hands and yelling “ochenta dólaress…ochenta dólares” ($80) for some of the piglets, and “doscientos cincuenta dólares” ($250) for some of the larger pigs. With lots of cash on hand, there was lots of haggling and transactions taking place. When the purchase was completed, you could see small piglets stuffed into sacks and carried out on the backs of some of the indigenous women. Larger animals were lead out with new colorful rope harnesses, while other animals were loaded into pick up trucks.

As you move further through the market, you come to an area where cattle are being sold. Some of these will become beef on your table, but most are dairy cattle.  They are less noisy than the pigs, but are big enough and crowded enough to make photography difficult.

The last animal area of this market has sheep.  Some farmers come with a single sheep to sell, while others have a couple dozen, usually tied together head to head, to keep them docile and stationary.  Some buyers want to flip the sheep on its back to fully inspect before buying, and before loading them on their truck for return to their new farm.

This was a photographically rich day, and there is a lot more to tell and show.  We will  break this into a two or three blogs to cover it all.  Stay tuned tomorrow!

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