PRE COLOMBIAN HISTORY OF ECUADOR

For 12,000 years Ecuador has been home to various civilizations. Early cultures celebrated the history of their forefathers through songs, dances, and story telling. Oral history was an important part of religious ceremonies. Little of this history remains today. The Spanish forcefully converted the indigenous culture to Catholicism, religious ceremonies were abandoned and many of the stories forgotten. The tales that endured are of the Inca's who arrived in Ecuador shortly before the Spanish.

Information about earlier cultures is attributed to the archeological treasures discovered throughout the country. Ecuador is a young country archeologically speaking; the importance of unearthing and preserving ruins does not have the enthusiastic support of the country and scientists as in Mexico, Peru, Egypt or Turkey. Many of the country's ruins remain buried, left simply as a mysterious symbol of an earlier culture. One can only imagine what has left to be discovered. Opportunities to learn about Pre-Colombian cultures include the well-preserved ruins in Machalilla and Ingapirca or visiting one of the excellent museums housing collections of artwork and tools.

The first known culture of Ecuador is the Las Vegas, a group of hunters and gathers who lived on the Santa Elena Peninsula between the Guayas Basin and Salinas. Living in houses and making textiles they enjoyed a varied economy and they existed by farming crops including maize and squash, hunting, and exploiting the mangroves for wood, oysters and other seafood. The museum "Museo de los Amantes de Sumpa" near Santa Elena houses displays of the Las Vegas and tells the story of their culture.

The Valdivia Culture is the earliest culture where significant remains have been discovered. Their culture existed along the central coast around 3500 BC (a few hundred years ahead of the Bronze Age and the Old Kingdom of Egypt). Their cities and villages were circular shaped featuring a raised central plaza paved with shells. Surrounding the plaza were houses and community buildings constructed of wood and straw. Their extensive diet of beans, maize, pumpkin, fish, shellfish, birds, rodents, reptiles, and armadillos was obtained by farming, fishing and hunting.

The Valdivias were the first Americans to use pottery. They created bowls, jars and female statues out of clay both for everyday life and for use in religious ceremonies. They navigated the seas on rafts with sails and established a trade network with tribes in the Andes and the Amazon. One of their main items of trade was the red shell of the thorny oyster called Spondylus. The red shell was made into ornaments, which were more valuable than gold or silver. The traditional Otavalo bracelets were made from these shells. Valdivia art has been found throughout the country and an extensive collection is on display at the Museo Banco Central in Quito.

The early cultures were quite advanced. By 600 BC trade routes connected Ecuador with Chile to the south and with Mexico to the north. Cities were designed with streets and drainage areas. Labor became specialized and shops existed. By 300 BC alloys of gold and platinum were created a practice, which did not catch on in Europe until the 19th century.

GALAPAGOS ISLANDS HISTORY

Discovery of the Galapagos Islands
Whalers in Galapagos
Charles Darwin visits Galapagos
Early Colonists - Settlement of Galapagos

ECUADOR HISTORY

Pre Columbian History
Inca Empire Extends to Ecuador
Spanish Conquest of Ecuador
Royal Audience of Quito - Spanish Rule
Republic of Ecuador
Modern Ecuador History