Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

South America's second smallest republic, Ecuador has a rich, but also troubled history. Regionalism, racism, and economic dependency have plagued the country, often sparking political and social upheaval. Throughout the nineteenth century, most protest movements pitted the elite, whose economic and political power had been solidified in the wars for independence, against one another. Meanwhile, Ecuadorian Indians remained largely barred from the political process, forced to pay tribute to the central government and labor on haciendas or in mines. During the twentieth century, however, the indigenous population mobilized by creating grassroots organizations that promoted not only socioeconomic rights, but also Indian self-determination and cultural recuperation. At the turn of the twenty-first century, these new Indian organizations played an important role in shaping national electoral politics and forcing the government to acquiesce to some of their demands. In 1532 Spanish conquistadors under the command of Sebastián de Benalcázar conquered Ecuador, defeating Inca Emperor Atahualpa and his army at the Battle of Cajamarca. For the next two and a half centuries Ecuador's development resembled that of any other Spanish American colony. The Crown quickly established a colonial system with a small Hispanic elite and a large Indian underclass. Native-born Spaniards who had migrated ... log in or subscribe to read full text