The Uncertain Future of Ecuadorian Indigenous Youth

Abstract

This article analyzes the migration of Indigenous youth from their territories, the challenges their communities face, and the labor transition from agriculture to new professions. Based on ethnographic research conducted in Indigenous communities in the provinces of Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, and Tungurahua in the central Andes of Ecuador, the study concludes that while internal and external migration can improve living conditions and encourage more young people to migrate, the current outlook is uncertain. Factors such as deportations and the threats of crime and organized crime have led some young people to return to their communities of origin as a place of relative safety.