Whose house is that?

I ask our guide, “Who owns all these big houses?”
“Migrants.” He replies. “They leave Ecuador for the US and other counties where they can make more money. When they return here they can afford to buy land and build these big houses.”
I ponder this as I work on catching my breath and wiping the sweat and dirt from my face. Alfonso, our guide for the day and a part of the Canari tribe in southern Ecuador helps to keep the Canari culture and customs alive by providing a bird’s eye view into the life of an indigenous Ecuadorian family. From traditional food to a lesson in botany, by the time Alfonso taught Carl and me how to plow the field using two oxen, I was pretty impressed by this guy whose parents are 90 and 99 years old and have never had the need for traditional medicine. Their knowledge of local plants, teas and special remedies has been keeping Alfonso’s parents and the rest of the Canari tribe in excellent health for hundreds of years.
With the plow in one hand and whip in the other I look out to the country side where the Andes Mountains provide another breathtaking backdrop to an area where Alfonso and his family have been living off the land long before the Spanish set foot in South America. That particular view was also what prompted me to question Alfonso about the large homes dotting the landscape. Just below, in the valley smoke is curling up from Alfonso’s small but modest home complete with an outdoor bathroom, only added to appease the many western visitors who visit Alfonso each year.
When I asked Alfonso about the biggest problem his people face, he did not answer that they are hungry, uneducated, and penniless or disease stricken. He answered that he was afraid of his people losing their culture and customs because of getting "swallowed" up by those “big houses” closing in just over the hill.