The Festival of Pendoneros (the Bannermen) in the province of Imbabura is an example of an Andean tradition within which ancient symbols shows us glimpses of a slowly receding indigenous communal lifestyle. These simple rituals help non-indigenous Ecuadorians understand our common cultural heritage and our humanity.

In the month of October , the parish of San Rafael del Lago , located twenty minutes from Otavalo , celebrates the festival of San Miguel de Porras . The festival is the fruit of the meshing of indigenous belief and Catholicism. Not surprisingly, given the subtlety of indigenous assimilation, the festival easily mixes Christian symbols (crosses, candles) with their own (costumes, typical dress, cuisine). The timing of the festival, not coincidentally, coincides with the harvest. The indigenous, a people whose livelihood is tied to the land, set their cultural clock by the planting seasons. October is a time where the indigenous thank Pacha Mama (Mother Earth) for their finished labor and plead for success before beginning a fresh planting season in November, the start of the rainy season.

The festivities begin on the eve with rituals that have their root in the indigenous world: burning of dried herbs (chamizas) , dances and acrobatics . First, the burning of the dried herbs has two meanings: the invoking of rains through the smoke that rises to the heavens from where the phenomenon comes and, on the other hand, the sacrifice, the offering of the Catholic creed to the saints (here the herbs could be understood as incense). Likewise, the dance, now mixed with religious chants, is the indigenous method for communicating and celebrating an event. Finally, as a visual and oral people, the acrobatics with their brilliant colors also represents the colors of their festive mood and that shows up in the environment so that it can be felt by all.