OTAVALO EC (EN)


ANATOMY OF A CRISIS


Mapping the Social and Territorial Tensions in Otavalo, Ecuador

On October 13, the northern highlands awoke to the metallic echo of engines and the murmur of fear. The so-called Humanitarian Convoy—a name that attempts to cloak a show of force in benevolence—entered through the areas of Olmedo, La Esperanza, and Pukuwayku, territories that for generations have sustained the communal life of Imbabura.

There, protesters were attacked with tear gas and pellets, leaving at least 22 injured, including women and the elderly; two remain in critical condition due to head wounds.

That day, violence was directed at the most vulnerable bodies, transgressing the ethical limits of the use of force and exposing a systematic violation of human rights. It was no longer about dispersing a protest, but about subduing a social fabric that resists through its worldview, its language, and its history.

That night, the armed forces occupied the Colegio de Ibarra as a resting and logistics base, revealing a planned military presence that preceded the massive incursion into Otavalo.

This operation—humanitarian in appearance—functioned as a political strategy of territorial control, an advance meant to fracture the Indigenous organization at the heart of Imbabura.
Under the pretext of maintaining order, the State rehearsed a form of colonial discipline, where Indigenous territory once again became the stage for power and impunity.




Between 4:00 and 5:00 in the morning, the so-called Humanitarian Convoy entered Otavalo from Ibarra, accompanied by more than 5,000 soldiers. What was supposed to be an operation to clear the roads turned into a repressive action against Indigenous communities and civilians.

From their entry points through Cotacachi and the Pan-American Highway, the military began launching tear gas. Between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m., the communities of Carabuela and Peguche were bombarded with tear gas, especially across the fields and homes adjacent to the northern Panavial.
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The excessive attack against civilians and the military raids on hospitals and official health centers led to the creation of alternative medical posts in private properties, both in urban and rural areas of the city.

These spaces were established in places such as Cotacachi, Otavalo, Carabuela, Punyaro, Peguche, Huaycupungo Monserrath, and Agato. It is estimated that a large number of people were injured.


“The Alliance of Human Rights Organizations reports that as of October 16, there were 367 human rights violations, 295 injured, and 205 detained.”



Around 6:00 a.m., the forces advanced toward the Colegio Agropecuario and then into the northern neighborhoods of Otavalo. In areas such as Ciudadela Rumiñahui, Los Lagos, Imbaya, and Ciudadela Collahuazo (second stage), reports described raids, beatings, and arrests carried out without judicial warrants.

People walking through the area were detained and loaded onto military trucks. In several cases, the violence was accompanied by racial slurs and public humiliation.



Between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m., the arrests intensified. In neighborhoods like Monserrat, tear gas entered homes with small children, forcing families to flee toward the hill of El Lechero. Witnesses reported house raids, arbitrary detentions, and acts of racial violence.

The result: at least 17 confirmed injuries — 10 from gunfire, 4 from pellets, 2 from direct tear gas impacts, and 1 from a severe internal injury — along with dozens of detainees whose names have yet to be fully documented.

While the government described the operation as a “humanitarian mission,” the Indigenous communities of Otavalo remember it as a day of military repression and the criminalization of the Indigenous people.

At 7:14 a.m., the section of the Panavial in front of Ciudadela Rumiñahui became one of the most violent points. Security forces fired tear gas and live ammunition. José Guamán (30) was killed by a gunshot wound, and Edison Muenala was injured.

José Alberto Guamán was a 30-year-old Kichwa community member, father of two, originally from the community of Cachiviro–San Pablo del Lago, parish of San Rafael, in the canton of Otavalo.

On Tuesday, October 14, he was shot in the area of the Dinosaur Park in Otavalo, Imbabura.



The situation was that the armed forces struck him with a projectile that passed from his chest to his back, causing massive bleeding. He was first taken to the San Vicente de Paúl Hospital, but due to the severity of his injury, he was transferred to Quito’s Eugenio Espejo Hospital. He died a few hours later, in what is considered a “state crime” that must be investigated.

His last words were reported as: “Where is my mommy? Please, bring my mommy.” He spoke these words while in critical condition following the impact (Primicias, 2025).


“ While the government described the operation as a ‘humanitarian mission’, the Indigenous communities of Otavalo remember it as a day of military repression and the criminalization of the Indigenous people.”


The community members most affected belong to communities such as San Francisco, Cotama, Peguche, Chachiviro, San Ignacio, San Pedro, El Cercado, Cumbas, and Morochos — all within the canton of Otavalo.



Their ages ranged from 18 to 52 years, with a predominance of young rural workers and laborers (including masons, farmers, seamstresses, gardeners, artisans, kitchen assistants, and students).

The most emblematic cases documented include:

  • Braulio Steven Morales (18, student): leg amputation following an abdominal gunshot wound.

  • Saire David Chaguiango (30, worker): possible leg amputation.

  • José Isidro Chávez (28): pellet in the left eye.

  • José Rafael Lanchimba (48, farmer): lost left eye; surgery cost USD 5,000.

  • José Alberto Guamán (30): thoracic injury, lung laceration from a projectile.

  • Alexis Israel Flores (27): three pellets in the pelvic area.

  • Luis Ernesto Calapi (40): tear gas exposure, hand fracture, burns.

  • Alan Mejía (23) and Franklin Flores (23): reconstructive leg/ankle surgeries.

  • Darwin Stalin Bonilla (26): injured in the calf, requiring metal plates.

  • Sergio Orbes (28): facial reconstructive surgery.

Medical expenses are estimated to range between USD 2,000 and USD 25,000 per family, with rural families facing a lack of immediate care in local health centers and shortages of medical supplies.

The Alliance of Human Rights Organizations reports that as of October 16, there were 367 human rights violations, 295 injured, and 205 detained (Morales, 2025).



Sources

Human Rights Watch. (21 octubre 2025). Ecuador: Abusos en la respuesta a las protestas. Recuperado dehttps://www.hrw.org/es/news/2025/10/21/ecuador-abusos-en-la-respuesta-a-las-protestas

Primicias. (20 octubre 2025). Del precio del diésel a la defensa de los territorios: así han cambiado las demandas del paro indígena.

Primicias. (17 octubre 2025). Policía registra 137 detenidos durante protestas en Ecuador, mientras siguen bloqueos en Imbabura.

CDHAL. (2025). Ecuador vive cuatro semanas de Paro Nacional sin tregua.



Credits

PROJECT LEAD  & 
CORE CONTRIBUTIONS

  Dakota Santillan Teran
  Master’s Student in Architecture
  University of California, Berkeley

  Amadeos Oyagata Maigua
  Master’s Student in Urban Planning
  Harvard University

  Sydney Males Muenala
  Facilitator at the Indigenous Council GARN
  Master’s in International Relations

RESEARCH & 
DATA COLLECTION


  Lenin Poveda Coronado
  Student in Sociology
  Universidad de Cuenca

CONSULTANTS &
ADVISORS


  Amaru Muenala
   Social Media Advisor

  Nelson Cordova Maigua
   Architect
  Studio Javier Cordova