El Otorongo - Galleria - Cafe - Cultura - Cuenca
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El Otorongo has to be one of my favorite galleries in Cuenca to visit. Why you ask? Because it is an ever changing gallery with a different theme each month. The month of November is all about angels. Artisans from around Cuenca present their art, mosaics, sculptures, embroideries, jewelry and much more. Magy Pena the owner of this beautiful gallery welcomes all clients with a personal tour of her gallery. Each piece has a unique story and it is a delight to go around and find out the history behind some of the pieces on display and of course for sale. Magy Pena owner of El Otorongo with a mosaic by Liza Wheeler of the Otorongo You will not just find Magy at the gallery every day but her 84 year old Father who is a stamp collector and has the most awesome collection of stamps from around the world.
Filatelia or Philately as we know it in English is the love of collecting and classifying stamps. Magy's Dad is very happy to show his collection. The first stamps in Ecuador appear in 1865, the contract was given to Manuel Rivadeneira, who had a small print in Quito. I am sure if you ask he will gladly explain it to you. He sits at his desk each day researching and categorizing and placing his stamps in albums. Magy on the other hand has had a love for embroidery and before opening her gallery in June of 2008 spent 15 years working in her still owned embroidery company. Magy and her father are both Cuencanos and Magy has a slight American accent. After moving to the states at only 15 days old she returned with her family at 3 years of age.
When I walked into this Café/Bar (photo above) in Cuenca I knew it was one of Magy's embroided room dividers.
The area where the gallery is situated is named Otorongo meaning Jaguar and is opposite the Tomebamba River. In ancient times the city of Tomebamba had two other names. Pumapungo (Puma) and Uturruncu (Jaguar). Under Spanish influence Uturruncu became Otorongo. Whilst thinking of a name to call the Galleria “El Otorongo” was born. In this beautiful gallery you can discover how the cultural heritage from the past mix with the present creating unique pieces of great cultural and aesthetic value full of history and identity. This trio of Angels below is really quite different. Not just the normal Angel. All of these delightful Angels (you can see the wings on their backs) have been entirely handmade.
You can relax whilst looking through this gallery and sit down and have a coffee or two and enjoy the most delicious Tamales.
The Tamal is a simple way of cooking the corn, so it could have been invented for any country where there is corn from Mexico to Argentina. Fray Bernandino de Sahagún describes the Tamales as follows: “They ate the Tamales in many ways; some of them were white and wrapped in leaves and others were red and not very square shaped….” Sahagún and other authors wrote about the Tamales that they were food not only for common people but for the rich too, food used in special religious fasting ceremonies. The archaeological evidence shows that the Tamal was a very important part of everyday life in some pre-Hispanic cultures, besides being used in religious rituals, they were also used as offerings and placed in tombs. The Otorongo Gallery is very committed in rescuing the local foods and offers its specialty “LOS ENVUELTOS”. Make sure you try one as they are very delicious. CALENDER OF EVENTS - 2009 -2010 December Mosaics by Liza Wheeler February Photos of Cuenca March Women May Room Dividers made out of all sorts of textures June Masks November Butterflies OPENING HOURS 7 days a week open 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. lunch 3 p.m. - 8 p.m. ADDRESS: Av.3 de Noviembre (junto a la Plazoleta del Otorongo) Cuenca, Ecuador TEL: (07) 2848731 or Cell - 095-140974 EMAIL: Galeriaotorongo@hotmail.com
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