What is now Ecuador formed part of the northern Inca Empire until the Spanish conquest in 1533. Quito became a seat of the Spanish colonial government in 1563 and part of the Viceroyalty of New Granada in 1717. The territories of the Viceroyalty – New Granada (Colombia), Venezuela, and Quito – gained their independence between 1819 and 1822 and formed a federation known as Gran Colombia. When Quito withdrew in 1830, the traditional name was changed in favor of the “Republic of the Equator.” Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost territories in a series of conflicts with its neighbors. A border war with Peru that flared in 1995 was resolved in 1999. Although Ecuador marked 30 years of civilian governance in 2004, the period was marred by political instability. Protests in Quito contributed to the mid-term ouster of three of Ecuador’s last four democratically elected presidents. In late 2008, voters approved a new constitution, Ecuador’s 20th since gaining independence. Guillermo Lasso was elected president in April 2021 becoming the country’s first center-right president in nearly two decades when he took office the following month. In 2023, Daniel Noboa won election in Ecuador, becoming the nation’s youngest president-elect. QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Daniel Noboa has managed to do what his father failed five times: Get elected as Ecuador’s president.

Economy

Highly informal South American economy; USD currency user; major banana exporter; hard hit by COVID-19; macroeconomic fragility from oil dependency; successful debt restructuring; China funding budget deficits; social unrest hampering economic activity.

Population

The population is 17,483,326 (2023 est.) which consists of tizo (mixed Amerindian and White) 71.9%, Montubio 7.4%, Amerindian 7%, White 6.1%, Afro Ecuadorian 4.3%, Mulatto 1.9%, Black 1%, other 0.4% (2010 est.).

Most Afro-Ecuadorians are the descendants of enslaved Africans who were transported by Spanish slavers to Ecuador from the early 16th century.^. In 1553, the first enslaved Africans reached Ecuador in Quito when a slave ship heading to Peru was stranded off the Ecuadorian coast. The enslaved Africans escaped and established maroon settlements in Esmeraldas, which became a safe haven as many Africans fleeing slave conditions either escaped to there or were forced to live there. Eventually, they started moving from their traditional homeland and were settling everywhere in Ecuador.

Racism, on an individual basis and societally, such as Mestizaje and Blanqueamiento are deeply ingrained from the Spanish colonial era is still encountered; Afro-Ecuadorians are strongly discriminated against by the mestizo and criollo populations. As a result, along with lack of government funding and low social mobility, poverty affects their community more so than the white and mestizo population of Ecuador. After slavery was abolished in 1851, Africans became marginalized in Ecuador, dominated by the plantation owners.

Afro-Ecuadorian people and culture are found primarily in the country’s northwest coastal region. The majority of the Afro-Ecuadorian population (70%) are found in the province of Esmeraldas and the Valle del Chota in the Imbabura Province, where they are the majority. They can also be found in significant numbers in Guayaquil, and in Ibarra, where in some neighborhoods, they make up a majority. Many Afro-Ecuadorians have participated in sports, for instance playing with the Ecuador national football team, many of whom hail from Valle del Chota.

Afro-Ecuadorian culture may be analyzed by considering the two main epicenters of historical presence: the province of Esmeraldas, and the Chota Valley. In Ecuador it is often said that Afro Ecuadorians live predominantly in warm places like Esmeraldas. Afro-Ecuadorian culture is a result of the Trans-atlantic slave trade. Their culture and its impact on Ecuador has led to many aspects from West and Central Africa cultures being preserved via ordinary acts of resistance and commerce.  Examples of these include the use of polyrhythmic techniques, traditional instruments and dances; along with food ways such as the use of crops brought from Africa, like the Plantain and Pigeon pea, and oral traditions and mythology like La Tunda. When women wear their hair as it grows naturally, it is often associated with poverty, which is why successful or upwardly mobile women tend to straighten their hair.

Marimba music is popular from Esmeraldas to the Pacific Region of Colombia. It was considered an Intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2010.  It gets its name from the prominent use of marimbas, but is accompanied along with dances, chants, drums and other instruments specific to this region such as the bombo, the cununo and the guasá.

Sometimes this music is played in religious ceremonies, as well as in celebrations and parties. It features call-and-response chanting along with the music. Some of the rhythms associated with it are currulao, bambuco and andarele.

On the other hand, in the Chota Valley there is bomba music. It can vary from mid-tempo to a very fast rhythm. It is usually played with guitars, as well as the main local instrument called bomba, which is a drum, along with a guiro, and sometimes bombos and bongos. A variation of it is played by la banda mocha, groups who play bomba with a bombo, guiro and plant leaves to give melody.