ABSTRACT
The Nariñense indigenous populations are mainly made up of Awá—who constitute the vast majority, totaling 26,800 members, as well as the Esperara Suaoudara and the Inga, with 4,500 and 3,600 members, respectively—in addition to a range of smaller groups of indigenous peoples with 200 or fewer members.9 Common to most of these communities is that they are located far from urban centres in some of the most remote municipalities in the least accessible corners of those municipalities. According to community representatives, the surge in income traceable to the lucrative trade in opium sparked a gold rush of sorts in the territory, which saw its population increase exponentially, from 1,400 to more than 30,000.17 Before long, the Andean slopes which were once relied on for the cultivation of peas, potatoes, beans and maize were covered predominately by poppies.
