Andean Entrepreneurs: Otavalo Merchants and Musicians in the Global Arena (review)

Anthropologist Lynn A. Meisch brings a wealth of experience and a unique perspective into a portrayal of the changing lives of the Otavalos, an indigenous people from a small valley nestled in the heart of Imbabura Province in the northern Ecuadorian Sierra. While Otavalos (also known as Otavaleños) maintain strong attachments to their native valley, today, their population of approximately 60,000 lives and works not only in the town of Otavalo itself, but throughout the entire world as part of a growing trade diaspora. In her ethnography, Andean Entrepreneurs: Otavalo Merchants and Musicians in the Global Arena, Meisch describes how Otavalos have responded to twentieth- and twenty-first-century global processes and increasing transnational migration by seizing the opportunity to capitalize on these social and economic dynamics as active participants on the global arena and as keen entrepreneurs in transnational music and merchant ventures. Meisch argues that rather than forfeiting their indigenousness to become players on the global scale, Otavalos have, instead, affirmed and even strengthened their ethnic identity in the process. By doing so, they directly challenge stereotypes of indigenous practices as lagging behind technology, of peasant societies as reluctant participants in modern processes, and of supposed incompatibilities between traditional lifestyles and modern trends.

This ethnography is ambitious in scope and engages several important themes. Briefly, Meisch analyzes the Otavalos' formation as an ethnic and cultural group within social, political, cultural, and economic matrices that extend far beyond their original communities. She describes the development of an entrepreneurial ethic among Otavalos within historical and contemporary circumstances. She explores the nature of postmodern societies defined in relation to transnationalism and the multiple involvements that transmigrants sustain in both home and host societies, and considers the ways by which Otavalos address and understand the resulting social and economic changes in their community. Finally, the author identifies tensions that result from global interactions in the town of Otavalo itself, namely through tourism, and the ways by which Otavalos variously profit from, adapt to, resist, and succumb to its demands.

For Ecuadorianist scholars, and particularly for those of us who work in the Otavalo area, the detail of information Meisch provides constitutes a reliable reference for supplementing and crosschecking our own data. Meisch, who has conducted research in the region for over thirty years, has also been an important resource in the field, offering guidance and facilitating contacts for many of us. Her acquaintance and fictive kin networks are extensive, allowing her to remain informed about Otavalo communities both at home and abroad, and thus positioning her ideally for an ethnographic endeavor of significant historical and geographical range. The impressive feat that Meisch has accomplished in conducting research among an increasingly dispersed population is worthy of acknowledgment. Having said this, as with all ethnographies, the book is not without its limitations. Whatever its merits or shortcomings, it is, nonetheless, a pleasure to see the fruit of several decades of sustained work in published form. I offer the following comments in the spirit of scholarly critique and ongoing intellectual dialogue.

The most important contributions of Andean Entrepreneurs appear in the first few chapters with Meisch's recounting of the historical involvement of Otavalos in mercantile ventures, and the formation of an entrepreneurial ethic within this historical experience. In addition, her chapter on tourism and travel to Otavalo, provides a good overview of scholarly literature on tourism and offers helpful statistics on migration, tourism, and craft production. The chapter on merchants and musicians on the global arena offers such detailed descriptions of the processes of commercial migration that beyond invoking a comprehensive picture for scholars, it could practically be studied by Otavalos themselves as a how-to manual since it contains formulas for travel and marketing, warnings about pitfalls in the international system, advice about popular sales destinations, and ideas for successful entrepreneurial ventures.

The strength of Meisch's ethnographic description, however, is not always counterbalanced with equally rigorous analysis. This is particularly...