History Paragraph

The history of Ecuador has been going on for so long and will continue forever. The earliest peloindian records in Ecuador are from 11000 BCE, at places located in the highlands. In around 8000 BCE, the Las Vegas people invaded Ecuador. They began to harvest squash and root crops, as well as practice clay figurines and pottery by the coastal region in 6000 to 5500 BCE. By 1000 BCE, Three spots of Ecuador had become trade circles. The Oriente (Amazon region), Sierra (the highlands), and Costa (coastal region). Around the year 1460, the Inca, who controlled what is now Peru, came into contact with Ecuador’s people. Ruled by Pachacuti and later his son Topa Inca, attacked. Although Ecuador had many soldiers and resiliated against them, ultimately, the Inca took over a huge part of Ecuador. In 1482, Barolomé Ruiz spotted Ecuador, he was the first of many Spanish conquistadors to arrive. A few years later, Sebastián de Belacázar, Francisco Pizarro’s lieutenant, invaded Ecuador. He was resisted by some but celebrated as a liberator from Inca rule by others. During the next century, the economy of Quito relied on the system of encomienda, to collect a certain amount of labor and tribute from the native community. In the late 16th century, the criollo population increased and the indigenous population declined. In May of 1822, Ecuador escaped the rule of the Spanish, becoming part of Gran Columbia. When Gran Columbia collapsed in 1830, Ecuador became its own country from then on.  Between 1845 and 1860-70, Ecuador faced a period of political trouble. The country was ruled by 11 different presidents in that one period of time, resulting in frequent civil wars. In 1995-1998, a border war between Peru and Ecuador commenced. And that wraps the history of Ecuador.

Demographic Paragraph

Ecuador holds a huge population, filled with diverse people and races. Number one, the Mestizo people. They are the majority of the population. Mestizo people are a mix of indigenous and European, mainly Spanish, ancestry. This was caused by Spanish colonization and centuries of mixing after the 1500s. The next group are the  Indigenous people. They are descendants of Ecuador’s original inhabitants. They lived in Ecuador long before Europeans and many people still keep their traditional languages and cultures. The third main group of people are of African descent. They are descendants of enslaved Africans brought by the Spanish during colonial times. Many of them live along the coast and their presence is tied to slavery and plantation labor history.