The Last Ice Merchant of The Chimborazo in Ecuador

Twice a week for over half a century, Baltazar Ushca has hiked up the slopes of Mount Chimborazo, the tallest mountain in Ecuador, to harvest glacial ice that covers the highest altitudes of this dormant volcano. In the past, up to forty ice merchants made the journey up the mountain to mine the ice; today, however, Baltazar works alone. Even his brothers, Gregorio and Juan, both raised as ice merchants, have retired from the mountain to find more steady work.
The Last Ice Merchant tells a story of cultural change and indigenous lifestyle through the perspectives of three brothers who have dealt with change in different ways. I wanted to portray the characters as the dignified people that they are and to show the very human story of their circumstances - to make a movie that would portray the indigenous community positively for both an outside audience, and also for the community itself
Source: New York Times
Produced by: Sandy Patch
Read the story here: nyti.ms/1P2P7qD
Visit the filmmaker's website: thelasticemerchant.com
Subscribe to our channel to be updated with news, travel tips, faqs about Ecuador and Galapagos Islands.
Visit our Ecuador travel blog here: bit.ly/2ZZp00F
Watch more videos: bit.ly/3hBRxzj
Ecuatraveling Enjoying Life!