Trade in Truths

I took a break from narcotrafficking, and went to visit Hospital San Luis de Otavalo, Ecuador's first intercultural maternity center, where vertical delivery is practiced. Vertical delivery is a form of childbirth favored by indigenous kichwa communities. In this tradition, women either kneel or squat during childbirth. Gravity is the main midwife in the process. Parteras treat the woman with herbs and waters that speed-up uterine dilation. Doctors are on standby to address complications.

The Yachak, literally the one who knows,  oversees delivery accoridng to Andenean custom.