Pre-Historic Civilizations in Ecuador
Overview of a Few Significant Pre-Historic Civilizations in Ecuador
Aug 19, 2008
At the time of the Spanish conquest of South America, much of what is now present-day Ecuador was actually part of the incredible Inca Empire. However, the Incas were conquerers like the Spaniards. They basically took over what cultures that had previously existed. Several archaeological finds in Ecuador prove that various indigenous peoples left behind evidence of their ancient cultures. Thus, a rich heritage of pre-Columbian, cultural traditions existed long before the Incas arrived.
Las Vegas Culture
The earliest known peoples of Ecuador were from the prehistoric Las Vegas culture. Quite unlike the Las Vegas culture we are familiar with in the desert of Nevada, this primitive culture existed in Ecuador from approximately 9000 – 6000 B.C. This group of people existed in the area of what is now known as the Santa Elena peninsula, and west of present-day Guayaquil. The remains of many human skeletons and other archeaological finds in this region suggest this culture flourished here.
Archaeologists have distinguished the people of this Las Vegas culture as having developed over a period of time and have segmented their development into three stages. The initial stage is identified as the pre-Las Vegas phase and is described as existing approximately 11,000 to 10,000 years ago. These earliest inhabitants have been identified as unspecialized hunter-gatherers and simple fishermen that lived along the coast. Approximately 8,000 years ago, this culture eventually developed to be among the earliest peoples to cultivate an early type of maize.
El Inga
Also, in the highlands near present day Quito, (Ecuador’s capital city) an historical site known as El Inga indicates that prehistoric people were living in this area from approximately 9000 – 8000 B.C. Several sites were systematically excavated from 1961 and this area is estimated to be one of the richest and most important early archaeological sites in South America. Experts estimate that it once existed along an ancient trade route.
Ancient Amazonians
On the other hand, there are archeologists maintaining that some of the oldest human cultures which have survived (over 10,000 years) originated from the Amazonian rainforests. The dense and humid tropical rainforests were practically untouched by “civilization” for many centuries. Even today, some of these peoples remain remote and difficult to reach by outsiders. They still preserve their pre-Columbian values and continue to adhere to cultural practices from ancient times.
Valdivia Culture
In addition, archeologists have discovered the oldest ceramic artifacts in all of the Americas. The ceramic items, dated from 3500 B.C., were attributed to the Valdivia culture. It is one of the oldest settlement cultures recorded in the Americas and is estimated to have existed from approximately 4800 to 1500 B.C. This culture is believed to have emerged from the Las Vegas culture and flourished around the Santa Elena peninsula.
Ruins of some Valdivian towns are located along river basins near the Ecuadorian coast. They indicate the people had a definite social order and knowledge of agriculture. As a sedentary people, they subsisted primarily by farming. They also lived off of their fishing and hunting deer.
Ancient Foundations
Although the Inca Empire was the largest pre-Colombian civilization and perhaps the most advanced within South America at the time, it developed upon the foundations of the ancient civilizations. Also, despite domination by the Incas and ultimately the Spanish, several of the indigenous peoples in Ecuador survived. Their descendants can also attribute their link to ancient cultures.
Sources
Morrison, Marion. Ecuador New York: Children’s Press, a Division of Grolier Publishing Co., Inc., 2000.
