Introduction:

This original research article results from the quantitative and qualitative investigation carried out in the community of Tzalarón, Punín parish, Chimborazo province in Ecuador, with the aim of determining the indigenous presence in the processes of social vindication of that population.

Methods:

396 surveys were administered to the inhabitants of the sector, in order to demonstrate the ‘indigenous presence’ and the ‘vindication processes’ in the community. Through unstructured interviews with specialists in the field, different views were obtained for understanding the subject. In addition, consultations of bibliographic and documentary sources and hemerographic review were carried out, as well as analysis of main definitions.

Results:

After the legal recognition of Tzalarón as a community in 1964, its identity was strengthened. As part of the indigenous vindication, there are elements that mark the identity, and each community member has to assimilate their diversity, resources and autonomy.

Conclusions:

A fundamental principle of indigenism is the permanence of its ‘spiral’ ideology, and that its empowerment has to come from the center of the indigenous worldview. Ancestral knowledge, spiritual life, communicative practices, and cultural values ​​are all elements of the principle of community life and demonstrate the indigenous presence in the processes of social vindication of the people of Tzalarón.

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