ANTH 205 Lecture 7

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Ecuador: History and Culture

Population	15 M
Capital	Quito
Regions	Costa (coast) Sierra (mountains) Oriente (east)

About the size of Nevada

Spectacular geography and biodiversity

Note: Chimborazo is the point on Earth furthest from the core; 1.3 mi more so than the peak of Mt. Everest

Native Settlement

Valdivia Culture

Earliest evidence of settlement int Ecrador: 3500 - 1400 BC

• One of oldest settled cultures in the Americas
• One of first peoples thought to make/use pottery
• First direct evidence for the cultivation of maize in S. America

The Quitu

• Founded Quito in 2000 BC
• Many trides unite (not necessarily peacefully) established Kingdom of Quito around 800 AD
• Quito-Cara culture
• Lasted until Incas showed up in 1470s

Extensive trade networks among other South American tribes at the time.

The Inca

• Developed in the highlands of modern-day Peru around 13^th century.
• Concentrated around Cuzco until 15^th century.
• Expansionist agenda

Characteristics

• Extremely accomplished architects (Machu Picchu); built cities in planned ways.
• Agriculturalists
  • mita system
  • terraces
  • complex irrigation systems
  • land set aside for city and empire)
• Obligatory marriage (hand-in-hand with expansionist; property inherited by parents of same sex)
• Animistic religion (inanimate objects had spiritual qualities)
• Medicine (skull surgery)

Incan Invasion

• First in 1460s
• Fierce resistance
• Conquered by 1500

Huayna Capac succeded his father Tupac Inca Yupanqui

• Built secondary Incan capital in Quito

Uneven Influence

• Religion essentially unchanged by the Inca
• Agriculture, social organization, and language changed significantly
• Quecha / Quichua language is still spoken by 25% of modern Ecuadorians
• Even though Inca were in control for less than 100 years

Huayna Capac divided empire between two sons:

1. Atahualpa (favorite) grew up in Quito and inherited Northern empire
2. Huáscar (legitimate heir) grew up in Cuzco and inherited Southern

Civil War broke out in 1529

Atahualpa won in 1532 just in time for Spanish to show up.

• Empire population 6–10 M

Spanish Invasion

• Francisco Pizarro captured Atahualpa and extracted as much wealth as they could:
  • Offered to fill prison cell once with gold and twice with silver in exchange for his life (within two months)
  • Pizarro killed him anyway (mock trial; accused of murder of brother, polygamy, and idol worship)
  • Sentenced to death by burning, but baptized and then strangled in 1833

Systematically eradicated many aspects of Inca culture Imposed encomienda (corruption of Inca mita system)

• Mestizo individuals were exempt, which led to dilution of native ethnic identity
• Diseases killed many of the natives anyway

Spanish Empire

Spanish ruled in 1534–1820

• Catholic Churches and Cathedrals built on top of religious grounds
• Introduction of Cattle and Bananas

Independence

First country in Latin America to declare independence from Spain

First revolt in 1809 Simón Bolívar brought permanent independence in 1822

Economy

• Banana republic made huge schism between wealth and poverty
• Oil took over as major export in 1970s and still the case today
• Adopted US dollar as official currency in 2000 in responce to sucre devaluation and inflation (horrible exchange rate with prices rounding up to the next dollar)

Ecuador Today

Racial Demography

• 65% Mestizo
• 25% Native
• 7% white
• some Asian

97% of population live in sierra and costa regions

High literacy and long life expectancy (very healthy people despite relative poverty)

95% of Ecuadorians are Roman Catholic.