NEXT MURAL
Quinara - Loja - Ecuador
Name: Wild Treasures
Location: Quinara Rural Parish - Loja Canton - Loja - Ecuador
Status: Currently being developed and funded.
About the Town of Quinara
Agriculture and livestock farming are essential parts of local life. Coffee, sugarcane, corn, cassava, fruits, and family gardens grow from the land, alongside small mills that transform sugarcane into panela. These inherited practices reflect the knowledge, effort, and close relationship between the community and its environment.
Mingas (collective community work), celebrations, and collaboration among neighbors keep community life alive, strengthening an identity built on mutual support.
Surrounded by the natural richness of Podocarpus National Park, Quinara is part of a landscape where Andean and tropical species converge. Although it is close to the city of Loja, it preserves its own identity, rooted in simplicity and respect for nature.
Among its hills, an ancient legend still persists: that of the Seven Golden Huandos said to have been hidden after the death of Atahualpa. Sought for many years, the treasure remains shrouded in mystery and, according to tradition, could only be revealed to those who arrive with pure intentions.
“WILD TREASURES”
Inspired by the natural and cultural richness of this territory, the Mural will be titled “Wild Treasures.”
The mural will feature various species of birds representative of the area, integrated with the local flora in a composition that seeks to celebrate the diversity of life found in these landscapes.
The work is also inspired by an ancient legend from the region: the story of the Seven Golden Huandos, treasures that, according to popular tradition, remain hidden in these lands.
From this narrative, the Mural proposes a new perspective on the idea of treasure. Beyond hidden gold, the true treasures of Quinara are alive in its forests, its animals, its plants, and the ecosystems that give identity to this territory.
Each of the Birds will represent one of these treasures, acting as symbolic guardians of a Natural wealth that only reveals itself… to those who know how to listen…
A chilalo told me…
“It is a human duty to care for the birds.
As long as they continue singing,
Quinara… will keep shining.”
Development of the Mural
Currently, the artwork is in the research, design, and funding stage. During this process, knowledge about the territory, the species, and the elements that will form part of the final composition is being deepened.
Each contribution helps make this new creation possible, from the research and artistic design to the execution of the mural and the documentation of the entire process. In this way, those who participate also become part of the story that this work seeks to tell.
