Artwork from Ancient Ecuador Group D

GBD MICROSITE: INDIGENOUS  ARTWORK FROM ANCIENT ECUADOR

Artwork from Ancient Ecuador–Group D

Top: Seated Dog. Bottom: An Anteater.

A Brief History of Ecuador

Pre-Hispanic Integration and the Inca: 500 A.D. –
1,500 A.D.

Ecuador’s Andean civilizations are a source of cultural pride because of their strongwilled resistance to the Inca invaders. Some of these groups still existed when the Spanish arrived in the 16th century. Living under the subjugation of the Inca, some Andean groups were eager to join forces with the Spanish to mete out revenge on their captors. One such people were the Cañari. They occupied much of the southern Andean lowlands, including modern day Cañar. The Inca captured the Cañari capital and made it into their Ecuadorian capital, naming it Tomebamba. After the Spanish arrived, Tomebamba became Cuenca. The Cara civilization formed around 900 A.D. They worshipped the sun and built astronomical observatories. Eventually the Cara people joined the Quitu kingdom. Modern-day Otovoleños are descendants of the Quitu. The last Ecuadorian Inca king, Atahualpa, was the son of an Inca king and a Quitu princess. The Inca migrated to Ecuador from Peru, beginning in 1463. They Battled the Cara and the Cañari people for around 17 years. Under Inca leader Tupac Yupanqui, the Cara and the Cañari were finally conquered. The Inca brought strong administrative leadership, and through their organized (albeit oppressive) system of labor, they established roads and united various kingdoms through comprehensive military control. The most impressive road the Inca built connected Quito with Cuenca. It was made of stone and shaded by trees.

*A Brief History of Ecuador is from Anywhere Ecuador. The Images: All images and descriptions are taken from the book “Indian Designs from Ancient Ecuador” by Frederick W. Shafer. Learn more about the book here. Artwork Colors: The artwork has been colorized by Granite Bay Design from the original black and white versions. What the Artwork Shows: The wide bands above show the bead artwork flattened out. Next to that is what the bead looks like with the pattern applied. Finally, there is a small circle containing a black and white version of the bead at actual size. About the Author: The author of the book, Frederick W. Shaffer, took great care in reproducing the artwork as it was originally rendered. Learn more about that here.