Galapagos giant tortoises are amazing animals, dominant symbols on our culture from an anthropological point of view. Today in the afternoon, we visited their territory in the highlands of Santa Cruz and learned more about the local human history.
Between the 16th and 19th centuries, giant tortoises were an important source of food for sea people navigating around the islands and also for the local human population. First settlers use to cook the meat of these animals with Ecuadorian traditional recipes, as “fritada” or a deep fried meat (usually pork). Pregnant women use to have tortoises soup after giving birth, to provide them the energy and strength.
During his journey Charles Darwin visited the Galapagos archipelago on the 19th century. In his diary The Voyage of the Beagle, he mentions:
“At the time of our visit, the females had within their bodies numerous, large, elongated eggs, which they lay in the burrows: the inhabitants seek them for food”
He also mentions Captain Porter’s description of the tortoises:
“…those from Charles and from the nearest island to it, namely, Hood Island, as having their shells in front thick and turned up like a Spanish saddle, whilst the tortoise from James Islands are rounder, blacker and have better taste when cooked.”
During the 20th and 21st century the Galapagos giant tortoise has turned into a dominant symbol of conservation, and the local population respects this ancient animals and do not use them as part of their diet any more. Previously, a death tortoise was a symbol of life associated with food and nutrition, and now the living animal has become a symbol of life associated with the conservation and extinction of unique spices in the world.
Galapagos giant tortoises are unique, holding so much meaning in both the historical and natural context of the archipelago. It was a real pleasure to visit them and get close to them today.
