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Efforts to prevent the extinction of the Zapara culture

The Zaparas are a binational indigenous nationality since they are settled in the Amazon, both on the Ecuadorian and Peruvian sides. In Ecuador, the settlements are located in the Río Tigre and Montalvo parishes (Pastaza province), between the Pindoyacu and Conambo rivers. Currently, the Zapara population does not exceed 1,000 inhabitants, but this does not prevent traditions of such value from still surviving in their territory of 360,861 hectares, that UNESCO, on May 18, 2001, proclaimed these cultural manifestations as “Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.” A study by the Ministry of Culture and Heritage determined that there are at least 56 cultural manifestations, of which 32 are in a vulnerable state (they could disappear), 20 are current (this implies that they are in use) and 4 that remain in memory, that is, they are known, but are no longer practiced...