Regionalism in Ecuador

For a while I have been thinking about the patriotism in Ecuador.  It amazes me that not only do these people have a loyalty to their country but also to their region, and to their city even.  Even in the dialect in which Cuencano´s speak, some words or phrases are very Cuencano.  My host mom even asks me at least once a week if I like Cuencano food, as if it is so much different from food found other places in Ecuador.  I would say that in the perspective of the country alone, regionalism trumps nationalism.  Expanding on that, I would also say that loyalty to a city trumps regionalism.  If it came to a global event, though, I still believe that nationalism would be almost as strong as the loyalty to the city.  There are even local holidays here.  I cannot think of a city at home that celebrates its personal independence.  The closest we get is celebrating bicentenials of the states. It seems that Cuencanos would not only put their lives up for their country but also for their personal city.  Also, they can all recognize people from the other regions.  Many people in our group have stories of their host parents pointing out people who are from the coast, which is not that far from here.  That is like someone from Cleveland identifying someone from Columbus.  It is crazy to me how they can make that distinguishment.  It is never made in a negative sense, more as a statement of fact rather than a racial discrimination.  I suppose that in such a small country being loyal to the closest thing to you would be logical.  It is a very interesting state of mind to observe in the culture.