By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
As I finished my interview with Ecuadorian Consul General Luis Espinosa Salas, I asked him who had inspired him as a child and who continues to inspire him today. Without hesitation, he responded.
“My father inspired me. I respect him a lot. He trusted me, and he still trusts me,” said Salas.
Salas remembers his childhood with great warmth and recalls the details of his family.
“We are three brothers and one sister. My father was not a rich person, but we never lacked what we needed, and we had the love of our mother,” said Salas.
Family memories and love extended beyond his immediate household and included aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents who spent a great deal of time together.
“We had many family gatherings, and that is what I miss most and enjoyed about growing up. We played soccer together, we traveled together, and we were all family and friends,” said Salas. “We would go out to the countryside, where there was one cabin for all of us, and each of us would find a place to sleep.”
It was on one of those family trips to the countryside, away from Ecuador’s capital city of Quito, Salas’ hometown, that his father unexpectedly changed the family’s future.
“Out of the blue, he asked the landowner if there was a piece of land he would be willing to sell,” said Salas.
That day, his father purchased a small parcel of land in the countryside, far removed from the concerns of city life. The property remained largely unused for several decades. Then, several years ago, the family dream became a reality. Today, a modest two-story home stands on the property, providing a gathering place where the Salas family can create new memories with their spouses and children.
“When I am stationed in Ecuador, I go with my family to the home in the woods, and we enjoy being together. Our mom is with us in our memories now. She passed away a couple of years ago,” said Salas.
While stationed in Houston at the Ecuadorian Consulate, Salas is accompanied by his wife and son. Moving to Houston was a significant change from their previous assignment in Mexico City.
Salas had the foresight to enroll his son in British English classes several years before their move to Houston. The preparation proved helpful. He reports that his son can easily reproduce both the sounds of the Queen’s English and the distinctive accents of Texas English.
Like many newcomers to Houston, the Salas family was introduced to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, and they loved the experience.
“I loved being in the stadium with the excitement of the people behind the microphones and the energy of the spectators. Plus, I admired how skilled the cowboys were with their animals,” said Salas.
Salas has been in Houston for just over a year. His diplomatic career has taken him to Geneva twice as Ecuador’s representative to the United Nations, as well as assignments in Poland and Mexico. He also studied diplomacy in Vienna and Chile.
As consul general, Salas is responsible for assisting Ecuadorian citizens, promoting trade and cultural exchange, and representing Ecuador’s interests throughout the consular district.
Wherever he goes, what he misses most about his homeland is the food.
Fortunately for him and his wife, they have discovered that H-E-B carries shrimp from Ecuador, which he describes as having a distinctly different flavor from shrimp harvested in other regions.
The family has settled comfortably into their temporary lives in Texas. After a year of living here, his son has requested a pair of cowboy boots.
“We love it here. We have experienced the generosity of Americans,” said Salas.
One aspect of the United States that has particularly impressed him is the public school system. His son attends a public school in the Tanglewood area. Although Salas wishes more textbooks were used and less instruction took place on computers, he is impressed by the inclusiveness of American schools.
“They take the time to help new students, and that makes it very humane,” said Salas of the school his son attends.
The Salas family may have only one more year remaining on their Houston assignment before returning to Ecuador, where Salas will likely serve in another position in a country he loves deeply.
“I love my country, and I love my hometown of Quito. My favorite areas of Quito are the colonial districts, and I enjoy the modern art throughout the city,” said Salas.
He noted that Ecuador’s diverse geography—from the Andes Mountains to the Pacific coast and the Amazon basin—creates distinct cultures and ways of life throughout the country.
Ecuador supplies the United States with flowers, including roses, as well as seafood, shrimp, cocoa, and oil. Several months ago, Salas said, the United States and Ecuador reached tariff agreements covering products moving between the two nations.
“It’s a mutually beneficial tariff agreement,” said Salas.
Not only have the United States and Ecuador strengthened trade relations, but the two countries are also working together to combat the growth of cartel activity in Ecuador. Salas noted that the FBI recently opened an office in Ecuador.
Through the years, Salas has seen much of the world, but his life did not begin that way. Growing up, the only country outside Ecuador that he had visited was Colombia. The four-hour drive felt familiar because the neighboring country shared many similarities with his own.
He said he did not truly experience the broader world until he was in law school and traveled to visit cousins in New Jersey.
After that visit, he knew he wanted to see more of the world. Nevertheless, he continued his legal studies and eventually entered private law practice.
Then, in 1997, he saw an advertisement seeking qualified applicants for Ecuador’s foreign service. For the first time, he could clearly see a path toward fulfilling his dream of exploring the world. He has no regrets about leaving behind his law practice to become a diplomat.
When he returns to Ecuador for his next assignment, he hopes to make time to take his son to the Galápagos Islands, another remarkable region of Ecuador and one of the world’s most famous natural treasures.
