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 History of Ecuador     Home Page Ecuador

I. Early History of Ecuador
== II. Inca Rule and the Spanish Conquest  ==

=__Early History __=  <span style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype','serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 80%; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif">Ecuador is known for containing one of the most varied indigenous cultures in all of Latin America. Archaeologists have had an array of discoveries in the territory, and the most ancient ceramic artifacts of the Americas were found there. These old ceramics are believed to date back to 3500 B.C. and are also speculated to belong to the Valdivia culture that thrived from 4800-1200 B.C. The cultures of the early inhabitants of Ecuador are most clearly defined through their social organization, artistic expression, and agricultural knowledge (1). There were various civilizations that populated the territory of Ecuador for some 12,000 years. These early cultures celebrated the history of their forefathers through the means of storytelling, songs, and dances (3). There is little history left regarding these early civilizations, considering the Spanish were forceful in converting the indigenous culture to Catholicism. Thus, many of the stories and traditions of these early civilizations as well as their religious ceremonies were forgotten and abandoned.

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Some sources indicate that the earliest inhabitants of Ecuador were hunters and gatherers, and that by 3000 B.C., “distinct civilizations…emerged... [that] left behind fine example of pottery, metal objects, and other artifacts" (2). This first known culture of hunters and gatherers in Ecuador were the Las Vegas, who occupied the Santa Elena Peninsula between the Guayas Basin and Salinas(3). They lived in houses and made textiles, and additionally enjoyed a varied economy and were able to thrive from farming squash and maize, and through hunting.

The Valdivia Culture was the earliest culture in Ecuador territory where significant artifacts or remains have been recovered. As the first Americans to use pottery, the Valdivias created bowls, female statues, and jars out of clay for not only everyday life, but for use in religious ceremonies as well (3). They also developed rafts with sails for navigation on the sail and "established a trade network with tribes in the Andes and the Amazon...[where] one of their main trade items was the red shell of the thorny oyster called Spondylus" (3). These shells were often made into ornaments, and were considered more valuable than gold or silver.

Other early civilizations, like the Valdivia, Manta, and La Tolita cultures, flourished along the Pacific Coast. These early cultures were extremely advanced. Eventually, the powerful Inca Empire conquered these early inhabitants in the late 1400s.

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__<span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 100%; COLOR: #ea2a2a; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 200%; COLOR: #3cec3d; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #e03870; TEXT-ALIGN: center">Incan Rule and The Spanish Conquest __  <span style="FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif">In 1463, an Incan warrior named Pachacuti initiated the incorporation of Ecuador into Inca rule. Despite resistance from several Ecuadorian native tribes, by the 15th century, Huayna Capac conquered the remaining tribes so that all of Ecuador was now a part of the Incan Empire. Throughout this period of Incan control, Ecuadorian tribesmen "adopted agricultural practices and the social organization of their Inca rulers, but maintained their traditional religious beliefs and many customs"(5). A civil war broke out in 1532 when the two sons of the Inca Huayna Capac fought for the Incan throne. While one son, Atahualpa was victorious, the civil war considerably weakened and divided the empire. <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif">

At the same time, a Spanish conquistador named Francisco Pizarro, along with an army, arrived in Peru in search of gold. Pizarro took Atahualpa captive and held him for ransom, which the Incas accordingly paid, although Pizzaro still eventually executed him. Upon this, an Ecuadorian general by the name of Rumiñahui "burned the city of Quito to keep the Spaniards from taking it...[but]despite [his] efforts, Quito was captured and rebuilt by the Spaniards...[and] under Spanish rule, natives were forced to work the agricultural fields of the Spanish ecomiendas" (1). With the Inca Empire's defeat in 1534, the Spanish colonists made a name for themselves and became the new ruling elite of Ecuador (4). Under Spanish law, all of Spain's colonies, including Ecuador, were considered the personal property of the Spanish King. It was in Spain also that the Council of the Indies created laws that regulated life in the colonies, while the House of Trade governed all trade and commerce between Spain and the colonies (5). The viceroyalty in the colonies additionally administered law and trade. Because of its lack of mineral resources, Ecuador stayed a rural colony throughout the colonial period of Spain. But with the "failing economy and flagging administrative authority of the Audiencia de Quito...[and] the introduction of Enlightenment ideals," (5) the stage was set for Ecuador's independence.

<span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 150%; COLOR: #bb00ff; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffb900; TEXT-ALIGN: center">__Ecuador Seeks Independence from Spain__  French forces led by Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Spain in the early 1800's. They placed Joseph, Napoleon's brother, on the Spanish throne, which led to a series of revolts both in Spain and the colonies against the new king (2). It was in Ecuador that Spanish settlers formed a revolt against the colonial representative the French emperor had sent. It was "amid this time of political instability for Spain [that] the criollos, people of pure Spanish descent, born in the Spanish colonies, began to voice their discontent at the unfairness of the colonial political system"(2). Only to peninsulares, or Spaniards born in Spain, were power and privileges granted to under this system. The criollos resented the privileges granted to the peninsulares and resultanty sought independence from the crown (5). The criollos led this struggle for independence primarily with the Audiencia de Quito. This political unrest culminated in a fight for independence from Spain by the Latin American colonies. The fight was led by Venezuelan Simón Bolívar and Argentinian José de San Martin. A commander under Bolívar defeated the Spaniards in the battle of Pichincha on May 24th, 1822, which ended Spanish rule of Ecuador (2). It was that same year that Ecuador officially joined the confederation of La Gran Colombia, which consisted of Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela, and was organized by Bolívar. For most of the years Ecuador was a part of the Gran Colombia, warfare dominated its affairs (5). The country first found itself on the front lines of Bolívar's war to liberate Peru from Spanish rule between 1822 and 1825. Then later, in 1828 and 1829, in the middle of an armed struggle between Peru and the Gran Colombia over the location of the common border (5). Through this era in Ecuador's history, its population was divided into three parts: those who supported the union with Peru, those who favored the status quo, and those who advocated complete independence. By 1830, Quito notables broke up the union of the Gran Colombia, and put General Flores in charge of its military and political affairs. It soon became evident that Flores would remain "a dominant political figure during Ecuador's first fifteen years of independence" (5).

<span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 150%; COLOR: #2b00ff; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #feff00; TEXT-ALIGN: center">__Ecuador as a Newly Independent Country__

In the first 30 years of its independence, Ecuador was "plagued by political instability as the political elite fought among themselves" (1). For almost the first century of its existence as an independent country, from 1830 to 1925, Ecuador was governed by 40 different regimes. Several revolts and dictatorships were a result of this independence, and there were 48 presidents during the first 131 years of the republic, as conservatives ruled until the revolution of 1895 which brough on nearly a half century of Radical liberal rule(6). It was through unconsitutional methods that liberal and conservative leaders fought for power between 1830 and 1860. There was a considerable rivalry between the two capital cities of Ecuador, Quito and Guayaquil, and this defined Ecuadorian politics for the subsequent 150 years. The major difference between these two cities was that "Quito was the home of the politically and religiously conservative...who resisted change...[while] Guayaquil had developed into a cosmopolitan, bustling seaport whose liberal residents supported free enterprise and anticlericalism" (1). Between the years 1860 to 1895, conservatives controlled the government, their most notable leader being Gabriel Garcia Moreno. Moreno ruled the country from 1860-1875, while the Liberal Party ruled the country from 1895 to 1925, with José Eloy Alfaro as their party leader up until 1912. When Moreno became president of Ecuador in 1861, he made great efforts to bring progress and prosperity to Ecuador by planning and overseeing the construction of hospitals, schools, roads, and railroads (2). Additionally, international trade, industry, and agricultural production thrived through his presidency. Moreno was a dictator, however, and in 1875, he was assassinated. It is indicated that "the period from 1925 to 1948 was marked by economic crisis, political instability, and civil unrest" (1). Through this period of the country's history, only one of 22 heads of state who governed during that time successfully completed a term. A border dispute occured between Ecuador and Peru in 1941, because Peru invaded a territory in the Amazon Basin that had been previously claimed by Ecuador. In a war which followed, Peru was eventually granted the land in a settlement, the Rio Protocol, which was signed in 1942 by leaders of Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and the United States (2).

<span style="DISPLAY: block; FONT-SIZE: 150%; COLOR: #44e4d3; FONT-FAMILY: 'Comic Sans MS', cursive; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #e84a4e; TEXT-ALIGN: center">__Ecuador's Recent History__

Ecaudor's more recent history correlates to the discovery of its most important resource, oil, in 1967 (1). In order to maintain national ownership of the oil, the military took power from 1972-1979, and the promises of riches from oil inspired massive international borrowing. While loans funded development in the country, they left Ecuador vulnerable to the demands of international financial institutions(1). Through the past couple decades, "the instability that has plagued elected governments [has] [resulted] from the fact that the Ecuadorian poor, middle class, and indigenous populations will not tolerate more economic harship to pay foreign debts" (2). These people have found their voice in more recent years, and represent 30 percent of Ecuador's population. Because of this, they are considered an ample minority that represents the political will of both the poor and middle-class non-indigenous Ecuadorians. In Ecuador today, popular protest is seen as a powerful tool and is still utilized to penetrate unresponsive governments.

<span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif">Sources: (1) __Cultures of the World: Ecuador__, Foley, L. Erin & Jermyn, Leslie <span style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Palatino Linotype', 'Book Antiqua', Palatino, serif">(2) __Ecuador__, S. Daniels, Amy. (3) http://www.galapagosonline.com/predeparture/History/PreColumbianHistory.htm (4) http://www.ecuaworld.com/discover/historia.htm (5) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Ecuador#Ecuador_under_Incan_rule (6) http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107479.html