Unique Ecuador nativity scene aims for historical accuracy

A hunchback suffering from goiter, a woman with a bloody face and other unusual images make up a peculiar manger in Quito, preserved for three centuries in a cloister monastery. Photo: AFP

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.