History of Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands

Ecuador's history is rich and colorful, spanning some 12,000 year of human civilization from early tribal settlers to grand empires and kingdoms, Inca lords and Spanish conquistadors, legends of gold and treachery, colonization and rebellion, and finally democracy and independence.  

Yet the human history of the Galapagos Islands is relatively recent, dating back a few centuries when wayward ships and pirates found food and shelter in the islands.  Later, whalers and colonists made their homes along the shores.  The famed naturalist Charles Darwin visited the islands in 1835 and his five week stay had a profound affect on his thinking.  His theory of evolution rocked the scientific world when it was published in 1859 in the text of his book, The Origins of Species.  The Galapagos were declared a National Park in 1967 and a marine sanctuary was established in 1998.  To learn more click on the links below: