Ecuador

3 Pages 676 Words

The first Spaniards landed in northern Ecuador in 1526.
Pizarro reached the country in 1532, and spread terror
among the Indians thanks to his conquistadors' horses,
armor and weapons. The Inca leader, Atahualpa, was
ambushed, held for ransom, 'tried' and executed, and the
Inca Empire was effectively demolished. Quito held out
for two years but was eventually destroyed by
Atahualpa's general: Ruminahui, rather than be lost
intact to the invading Spaniards. Quito was refounded in
December 1534. Today there is only one intact Inca site
in Ecuador - Ingapirca, to the north of Cuenca.

After the Incas were defeated, the Spanish became the
new rulers of Ecuador. A creole middle class began to
emerge and made several attempts to free Ecuador of
Spanish rule. This would finally happen on May 24, 1822;
thanks to Simon Bolivar.

The first years of the Republic were marked by
instability and power struggles. History evolved around
the figure of the first President, Venezuelan born
General Juan José Flores. During this government the
first constitution was written. Quito was chosen as the
capital of Ecuador and Catholicism was the official
religion of the State.

By 1860, Gabriel Garcia Moreno consolidated the country
and an era of conservatism began with support from the
Catholic Church, which lasted until 1895. During the
last part of the 19th Century, the country flourished
economically, mainly due to cocoa exports. In the late
1800s, Eloy Alfaro led a liberal revolution that reduced
the power of the clergy and created an era of capitalist
development.

Political instability dominated during the 1930s and
1940s. In 1941, Ecuador was invaded by Peru and lost
control over much of its Amazon Territory. The border is
still a matter of dispute, appearing differently on
Ecuadorian and non-Ecuadorian maps. After World War II,
Ecuador's economy received a boost due to banana
exports. A period of peace from 1...