Statues

Over the past few months, I've accumulated a few pictures of statues from around the city.

Don't know who this guy is, but he looks fairly important, wouldn't you say? I imagine he helped defend Guayaquil against marauding pirates.

You can see receding into the distance a few horses painted brightly. These horse statues were installed in parts of downtown and along the riverfront for a time. They were sponsored by different organizations and painted by various artists.

These guys are there to greet you as you begin the climb up the 444 steps of Las Peñas. They want you to feel as relaxed and happy as possible for the rough climb ahead.

I walk by this one fairly often. It always touches me.

Even though the evidence of weather and pigeons is clearly visible.

In Parque Centenario, downtown. This is Miss Independence...

...from behind. Only after I got home and uploaded the photos did I realize my mistake.

And okay, I use the term "statue" very loosely here. But Wilson is such a fixture in my daily life that I had to include him. He lifts me up. He encourages me. The other day I went to a church service, and at one point during the worship time, the preacher yelled at the congregation to "Dance! Are you not latinos? You're not Europeans or something! It's in your blood - so dance!" My Ecuadorian friend looked at me in horror as if I'd be offended; I simply patted her on the arm and assured her that, for those of us of European heritage, there is always Wilson and his dance school.