ROYAL AUDIENCE OF QUITO - SPANISH RULE OF ECUADOR

Within a year of the Emperor's death Francisco Pizzaro had defeated the Incas and controlled the empire from Ecuador to Chile. Though he had amassed considerable wealth and territory the elusive El Dorado still evaded him. According to legends the mythological chief would attend yearly festivals his body covered head to toe in gold dust and would go into a local lake with offerings of gold and emeralds. Much as Ponce de Leon believed and sought of the Fountain of Youth, Francisco Pizzaro believed the stories of El Dorado and was determined to find him.

Expeditions were sent out at great expense to find the kingdom. The most famous of these began on Christmas day 1539. Gonzalo Pizzaro , Francisco's brother and his second in command Francisco de Orellana, the founder of Guayaquil, led an expedition of almost 4,500 soldiers, native slaves and countless animals to the headwaters of the Amazon.

Their party reached the banks of the Rio Napo hungry, and diminished in size from the freezing cold temperatures crossing the Andes and from battles with the local villages. Their supplies were depleted and they were forced to live off the land. Orellana and Gonzalo Pizzaro decided to part company. Gonzalo Pizzaro blamed the failed expedition on his guides fed half of them to the dogs and burning the remainder.

Orellana and a small crew of soldiers constructed a raft and set afloat downstream searching for food and signs of riches. The current quickly took the boat to the Amazon where he decided to push on and continue their journey. For eight months Orellana and his men encountered a various tribes along the river. One of these groups, his stories told, were a group of tall women warriors with white skin and braided hair similar to those of Greek mythology and thus giving the river its name. They finally reached the Atlantic Ocean in August 1541.

Gonzalo Pizzaro returned to Quito and on December 1, 1540 his brother, acting in the name of the Spanish Crown, named him first governor of the "Real Audiencia de Quito" (modern day Ecuador) a department under the Viceroy of Peru headquartered in Lima. Soon after the appointment Francisco was murdered. The Viceroy and conquistadors began a reign of terror. Gonzalo Pizzaro opposed the new laws and headed a rebellion against Spain and the abuses. The revolt was successful until April 9, 1548 when the Spanish loyalists defeated the rebels and beheaded Gonzalo Pizzaro.

The Spanish maintained strict control and had authority over Ecuador for 250 years. The Spanish laws, customs and ideas were introduced to the locals who began to mix the old traditions with the new. The Quiteñan School of Art was born reflecting the fusion between cultures. The Christian art shows the religious figures emerged in pre-colonial traditions including a picture of the last supper with Cuy (Guinea Pig) served as the main dish.  This artwork is present today and can be viewed in the religious architecture, sculptures, and paintings created during the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth centuries around the country.

Fight for Independence

Ecuador became a major seaport for the west coast of South America. Sailors bought and sold goods and with them brought news of the world and new ideas. As the 19th century began the idea "Liberalism" took roots among the colonists. The people were no longer happy being a colony working for Spain. They wanted freedom. Simon Bolivar emerged as a leader guiding them down the path to independence. He dreamed of creating an independent and United Spanish America.

On August 10th, 1809 Quito became "The Luz de America", the first place to declare independence from Spain. One of Bolivar's generals and statesmen Antonio Jose de Sucre led the country's fight. For 13 long years the war continued as Sucre led the troops into battle against the Spanish Royalist Army. At the foothills of Pichincha, the volcano overlooking the capital city, victory was finally secured. Sucre and his men defeated the Spanish; the country was free and would become part of the Federation of Gran Colombia.

Bolivar assumed control as dictator of the new federation. To fulfill his dream, uphold independence, and unite the federation he initiated a series of Inter-American conferences in 1926 to discuss their common problems and find solutions.

The conferences did not lesson the problems or ease the fighting between factions. Finally on April 27, 1830 Bolivar relinquished his power, the countries separated and within a few months died defeated and disillusioned.

GALAPAGOS HISTORY

Discovery of the Galapagos Islands
Whalers in Galapagos
Charles Darwin visits Galapagos
Early Colonists - Settlement of Galapagos

ECUADOR HISTORY

Pre Columbian History
Inca Empire Extends to Ecuador
Spanish Conquest of Ecuador
Royal Audience of Quito - Spanish Rule
Republic of Ecuador
Modern Ecuador History