Ecuador History

The Earliest Ecuadorians
Long before the Incas arrived in 1463, pre-Hispanic civilizations thrived in the region. Archaeological evidence points to evidence of Ecuadorian communities on the southern coast—in the Loja area and near Quito—flourishing over 12,000 years ago. Auspicious ocean currents and winds made the coast ideal for agriculture, enabling an industrious settlement to survive for 8000 years.

The oldest extensive archaeological findings are remnants of the Valdivians, who lived along the coast of the Santa Elena Peninsula roughly between 3500 and 1500 BC. Early Valdivians were hunter-gatherers but later developed farming techniques. The earliest known site is Loma Alta, dating to 3500 BC, which features impressive pottery and female figurines. Another site, Real Alto, reached its peak by 1500 BC and is scattered with remnants of tens of households as well as female figurines. Such sites point to the existence of trade networks connecting the coast, Sierra, and jungle. Other cultures, such as La Tolita, inhabited the Pacific coast for 700 years (reaching its peak in 300 BC), producing some of the most remarkable goldwork known in Ecuador—including the famous mask of the Sun God, whose image is often replicated in Ecuadorian literature and culture. Finally, the first uses of platinum—not used in Europe until the 19th century—occurred here. Slowly, Ecuadorian cultures expanded and developed, creating a background against which later cultures would flourish.

Little is known about the different pre-Inca tribes, except that each had its own language and all frequently declared war on each other. Groups in the coastal Lowlands—the Esmeralda, Manta, Huancavilca, and Puná tribes—were hunters, fisherman, agriculturalists, and extensive traders. The sedentary and mainly agricultural Sierra tribes—the Pasto, Cara, Panzaleo, Puruhá, Cañari, and Plata—used irrigation to cultivate corn, quinoa, beans, many varieties of potatoes and squash, and fruits such as pineapples and avocados. Local chieftains raised armies, distributed communal lands, and united different villages in political confederations headed by single monarchs. Lifestyles such as these persisted in Ecuador for over 1000 years, by which time hierarchical societies had formed all over the Highlands.

• The Inca Empire

At its height, the Inca Empire, controlling nearly one-third of South America and more than 10 million people, was the largest empire in the world. It all started around 1438 in a faraway land (normally ...more

• The Spanish Arrive

The Spaniards landed near Esmeraldas in northern Ecuador on September 21, 1526, but the first conquering mission, led by Francisco Pizarro, did not get underway until 1532. Spain’s King Carlos V ...more

• The Colonial Era

Initially part of the Viceroyalty of Peru, Ecuador was tightly controlled by the Spanish crown, subject to the king’s administrative agencies: the viceroy, the audencia (court), and the cabildo (municipal ...more

• The Independence Movement

Ecuador’s struggle for independence was part of a larger independence movement, sweeping Spanish America. During the 18th century, tensions escalated as the criollos (people of European descent born ...more

• The Early Republic

During its tormented early years, various rivalries plagued Ecuador, causing divisive hostilities between politicians, ideologues, and even regions. Quito and the Sierra emerged as conservative and clerical ...more

• The Conservative Regime

While some hail Gabriel García Moreno as the father of Ecuadorian conservatism and the country’s greatest nation-builder, others condemn him as its worst tyrant. During the 1840s and 50s, ...more

• The Era of Liberalism

For the next 30 years, General José Eloy Alfaro Delgado (president 1897-1901 and 1906-11) was to liberalism what García Moreno had been to conservatism. One of his first presidential initiatives ...more

• The Turbulent Years

Though preaching a socialist ideology, many of the leaders of the July Revolution soon discovered that army officers envisioned a new regime based more on Mussolini than Marx. The 1926-31 military dictatorship ...more

• A Rise of The Military

Between 1948 and 1960, Ecuador experienced a period of political stability—for a change. Economic prosperity accompanied the country’s status as the US’s main banana supplier until disease ...more

• A Return to Democracy

The Roldós-Hurtado regime began under auspicious circumstances. With the country’s preferential treatment as part of the Andean Common Market, the oil boom was finally having positive repercussions ...more

• Political Uncertainty

Abdala Bucaram (yet another Bucaram) of the Partido Roldosista Ecuatoriano (PRE) defeated Jaime Nebot of the Partido Social Cristiano (PSC) in the presidential election of July 7, 1996. Bucaram lost to ...more

• Dollarization

When Ecuadorians went to the polls on July 12, 1998, they elected President Jamil Mahuad, the Harvard-educated mayor of Quito. Mahuad inherited a severely troubled economy, and his administration took ...more