A hunchback with goiter, a child decapitated by a soldier, and a woman with a bloodied face are among the unusual figures in an Ecuador nativity scene that aims to provide a realistic depiction of historical life.

The vast creche belongs to the Discalced Carmelites, a religious order that has been present in Ecuador since 1653.

Some 300 pieces, featuring pieces dating back to the 18th century, are on display in a wing of the otherwise cloistered monastery that has been transformed into a museum in the historic center of Quito.

The figurines recount biblical stories surrounding the birth of Jesus, such as Mary and Joseph's flight to Egypt to protect their baby or the massacre of the innocents, the tale of King Herod ordering the killing of all male children under two.

But the monastery's collection, which also includes newer pieces from the 20th century, shows people in scenes of daily life under Spanish colonial rule as well.

"It is very interesting to find pieces that show different cultures, diversity in the city. We have Indigenous people, Afro-descendants, chapetones (Spanish descendants)," museum coordinator Gabriela Mena tells Agence France-Presse.

Several characters from the Yumbo Indigenous people appear with painted faces and feather headdresses.

Afro-descendants are shown wearing "highly decorated, French-style clothing," Noralma Suarez, the manager of the museum's reserve collection, said.

Elsewhere, mothers breastfeed their babies, the hunchback is depicted with a swollen neck — often a symptom of iodine deficiency — and a scene of domestic violence shows a man threatening a woman carrying a baby on her back, as blood runs down her face.

The nativity scene is a way "to show, to feel certain things that happened at a certain historical moment," such as health problems, Suarez said, referring to the character suffering from goiter.

Each year the nativity scene adopts a theme, such as migration or natural disasters.

This year, it aims to highlight the plight of women who often cannot enjoy Christmas with their families because they have to work to make ends meet. 

WITH AFP