For six decades, Baltazar Ushca dedicated his life to a rare and demanding profession: that of an ice merchant. Each week, he ascended the snow-kissed slopes of Mount Chimborazo, Ecuador’s tallest peak, wielding a pickax to extract blocks of glacial ice. Once harvested, he would wrap the hefty 60-pound ice blocks in hay and transport them using his trusty donkeys. His primary clientele consisted of villagers who lacked modern refrigeration and relied on his ice to preserve their food.
This labor-intensive trade had deep roots in his family. Mr. Ushca’s father, Juan, was also an ice merchant, as were his brothers, Juan and Gregorio. Together, they carved out modest livelihoods from the icy bounty of Chimborazo. However, even as modern refrigeration became commonplace in his village, Mr. Ushca, standing at just 4-foot-11, continued his work, gradually becoming recognized as the last of his kind. He sold his ice primarily to vendors at a local market in Riobamba, where it was used for refreshing fruit drinks and creamy ice cream.
“The natural ice from Chimborazo is the finest ice,” Mr. Ushca proclaimed in the poignant documentary, “El Último Hielero,” or “The Last Ice Merchant” (2012), directed by Sandy Patch. “It’s the tastiest and sweetest, packed with vitamins for your bones.” After reaching the market, he delivered the blocks of ice by carrying them on his back, showcasing his unwavering dedication.
His family often questioned his grueling lifestyle. “My children would ask, ‘Why do you endure so much hardship?’” Gregorio Ushca recounted in the documentary. “They wondered why I would brave the cold and trek far distances for so little reward.” Yet, for Baltazar, this ancestral trade was not just a means of survival but a testament to cultural heritage and resilience.
Transcript:
- The Last Ice Merchant
- Since he was 15, Baltazar Ushca has harvested the glacial ice of Ecuador’s Mount Chimborazo. His brothers have long since retired. “El Último Hielero” is a story of cultural change and adaptation.
