The university's branch campus in Cuenca celebrated the Inti Raymi ("Sun festival" a religious ceremony of the Inca Empire) with the Yachaykun Intercultural Group, which belong to the pedagogy undergraduate program, and the Interculturality and Ancestral Knowledge Research Group. 

The aim of celebrating the Inti Raymi is to create awareness in the university community about ancestral knowledge regarding medicinal plants and to encourage them to be part of intercultural activities. This celebration is a symbol of the gratitude to Paccha Mama (Mother Earth) for the harvest. 

The celebration began with a special ritual led by Taita Marco and the participation of the university's indigenous students from the community of Quilloac-Cañar. During the celebration there was music, dance, ritual purifications and traditional food. 

UPS President Javier Herran said "Science is the memory of communities and that memory is disappearing because we are losing the sense of science for the sense of profession. We are going to research from tradition, from the memory of communities". 

The event was attended by agents who are involved in the conservation of ancestral knowledge such as the Ancestral Medicine Club from Cuenca and the indigenous community of Quilloac. The members of these groups are experts in the use and care of plants, from the Sumak Kawsay  indigenous cosmovision perspective, where humans are considered as another species that live in Pachamama, just as important as the other species, animals or vegetables. 

Inauguration of the Ancestral Pharmacy

During the event they also inaugurated the Ancestral Pharmacy, an ancestral herbal vegetable garden that is located inside the university. This project includes the Environmental, Biotechnology, Pedagogy and Social Communication undergraduate programs, and it aims to stimulate the care of the environment based on ancestral and indigenous knowledge on the medicinal use of plants.

Javier Herrán Gómez, UPS President, cut the inaugural ribbon. Noemí Bottasso, who is in charge of the project, explained that the Ancestral Pharmacy is a collaborative space where medicinal plants and people co-exist to generate a balanced ecosystem of respect, learning and harmony. The project began in late 2016, together with the gardener Víctor Yunga, in cataloging and the recognition of the plants in the university premises. 

Research revealed that 70% of the plants in UPS gardens are medicinal, and that's where the idea of grouping the most emblematic of these plants in a space called Ancestral Pharmacy emerged.

Diego Toledo, Environmental Engineering student, explained that the project has allowed dynamic teamwork for all participants. "I'm sure the project will continue for a long time," Toledo said.