The Afro-Ecuadorian Chigualo: A Ritual to Face Death and Racism

Abstract

The Afro-Ecuadorian chigualo, a traditional funerary ritual performed for deceased children under seven years old, stands as a powerful expression of cultural resilience, spiritual continuity, and resistance to systemic marginalization. This sociolinguistic research explores how chigualofunctions not only as a mourning practice but as a dynamic sociocultural tool through which Afro- Ecuadorian communities confront historical and contemporary forms of racism and omission. Through the analysis of oral histories and literature searches, primarily in the provinces of Esmeraldas, Guayaquil and Manta, this study highlights the role of chigualo in transforming death into a celebration of life, identity, and communal solidarity. Based on ethnographic fieldwork, interviews with cultural leaders, journalistic and scientific publications, this research stablishes the difference between chigualo, arrullo and alabao and affirms that the chigualoin Ecuador is not simply a funerary custom, but a living archive of resistance. As such, it plays a crucial role in sustaining Afro Ecuadorian identity. The Afroecuadorian arrullo, in its modern form, explores the theological search for divine presence amid human suffering. It contrasts despair and faith through symbolic and liturgical language. Symbols such as God, the high altar, and stars convey spiritual transcendence and resistance to racial violence. These symbols transform communal grief into a ritual of hope, reconciliation, and theological resilience.