Artwork from Ancient Ecuador Group E

GBD MICROSITE: INDIGENOUS Ancient Ecuador Bead Icon for Granite Bay Design Microsite Website ARTWORK FROM ANCIENT ECUADOR

Artwork from Ancient Ecuador–Group E

Bead Artwork from Ancient Ecuador: Granite Bay Graphic Design–Group E

Top: Kinkajou. Bottom: Unidentified Mammal.

A Brief History of Ecuador

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

The Inca introduced the concept of mita. Mita meant that native Ecuadorians performed labor for their Inca overlords instead of paying taxes. The Inca also developed a record-keeping system called quipus. Quipus consisted of knotted strings hanging from a cord. Using different knots and colors of string, Inca administrators could keep track of various resources. In 1532, Atahualpa defeated his Peruvian rival, and the heir to the Inca throne, his half-brother Huayna. These battles left the Inca kingdom ill prepared for the arrival of the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro. Once Pizarro arrived, he asked Atahualpa to convert to Catholicism, and accept Spanish rule. Atahualpa declined, and it supposedly took the Spanish two hours to slay 7,000 Inca soldiers, with an army of only 180 men and 27 horses. These numbers may sound outlandish, but the Spanish had canons and horses at their disposal, which gave them a significant advantage. Atahualpa offered a huge ransom of precious metal in exchange for his life. The Spanish accepted, and then executed him in 1533.

*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.