http://travel-to-ecuador.blogspot.com/2011/10/short-history-of-ecuador-and-culture.html
Short History Of Ecuador and Culture
Travel tips for your trip to Ecuador Hotel Maps Famous Places in Ecuador helps you to make your trip to Ecuador in the holiday a Splendid One
Advanced indigenous cultures flourished in Ecuador long before the area was conquered by the Inca empire in the 15th century. In 1534, the Spanish arrived and defeated the Inca armies, and Spanish colonists became the new elite. The indigenous population was decimated by disease in the first decades of Spanish rule--a time when the natives were also forced into the "encomienda" labor system for Spanish landlords. In 1563, Quito became the seat of a royal "audiencia" (administrative district) of Spain.
The early years under the Spanish were marked by civil strife between rival families contesting power. In 1739, the viceroyalty of New Grenada was created and Quito fell under its jurisdiction until independence.
In the following century, as the Department of the South, it joined New Grenada and Venezuela to form the Federation of Gran Colombia.
Spanish rule lasted until the early 19th century; the Spaniards were finally overthrown in 1822, by a force backed by Simon Bolivar, fresh from victory in Colombia.
In 1828, the country declared war on Peru, whose armies had invaded Gran Colombia.
A year later, a peace treaty was signed and Ecuador's boundaries were permanently established.
However, relations between Ecuador and Peru have been tense ever since.
The period between 1925 and 1948 saw continual changes of government, and economic and administrative chaos.
The discovery of oil and the sharp increase in world oil prices in the late and mid 70s should have transformed Ecuador's economic fortunes. However, the windfall was largely squandered.
Power swung between left and right in the late 1980s and 1990s.
In 1998, Jamil Mahaud of the centre-right Popular Democracy Party took office; however, he proved unable to arrest Ecuador's deteriorating economic situation, and in January 2000, Mahaud was forced out under pressure from the military, led by General Gutierrez.
He was replaced by his deputy, Gustavo Noboa Bejarano. Under strong international pressure Noboa introduced a highly unpopular austerity programme which, by the time of the 2002 presidential poll, had undermined his prospects for retaining office.
He lost to Edwin Gutierrez Borbua of the 21 January Patriotic Movement.
Luis Alfredo Palacio González took over the presidency from 2005 to early 2007.
Current president Rafael Vicente Correa Delgado took office in January 2007.
