They are in such demand that there is a black market where you can buy and sell them for double or triple their face value depending on the bill’s condition. Everyone wants them. Some stores have them on display underneath glass and discretely operate exchanges.
“They bring us good luck. If you keep a $2 bill with you it will bring more money,” my friend Ana explained to me.
Ecuador, like much of South America, has a strong Catholic majority and long tradition of superstition that pre-dates the arrival of the Europeans. Most cities have giant statues of various virgins perched on hills that watch over the city.
On my last trip, in 2012, I had brought a handful of $2 bills to give to friends. Three years later each of them showed me the now worn bills they carried around with them.
“A girl stole my wallet at a party and took the bill out,” my friend Rene told me. “I was showing it off earlier and she must have been looking for it. Things were rough for a few weeks there and I had a lot of bad luck with money. But I kept looking for the girl who stole my luck. Finally, after three months I tracked her down and got it back. The next week I got a raise at work and have saved a lot of money since.”
That's sound advice.
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