The majority of the Ecuadorian population is mestizo, a mixture of both European and Amerindian ancestry, and much like their ancestry, the national culture is also a blend of these two sources, along with influences from slaves from Africa. 95% of Ecuadorians are Roman Catholic, although their Christian beliefs are mixed with ancient indigenous customs. Mestizo (Portuguese, Mestiço; French, Métis: from Late Latin mixticius, from Latin mixtus, past participle of miscere, to mix) is a term of Spanish origin used to designate people of mixed European and indigenous non-European ancestry. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ... Native Americans (also Indians, Aboriginal Peoples, American Indians, First Nations, Alaskan Natives, or Indigenous Peoples of America) are the indigenous inhabitants of The Americas prior to the European colonization, and their modern descendants. ... Slave redirects here. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ...

Ecuador can be split up into three parts, geographically; the Costa (coast), the Sierra (Highlands) and El Oriente (the east; which includes the Amazonic region). The Galapagos islands, or Archipiélago de Colón also belong to Ecuador. Rugged coast of the West Coast of New Zealand The coast is defined as the part of the land adjoining or near the ocean. ... Lyskamm, 4 527 m, Pennine Alps A mountain is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain in a limited area. ... Orthographic projection centred over the Galápagos. ... Christopher Columbus (1451 – May 20, 1506) was a navigator and maritime explorer credited as the discoverer of the Americas. ...

There is tension and dislike between the residents of Quito and Guayaquil. Additionally, there is centralism in these two cities, so people from other provinces also tend to dislike its residents. Furthermore, due to the at times extreme cultural difference between the Coast and the Sierra, there is a general dislike between those two regions that traces back to prehispanic times. Nickname: Luz de América Map of Ecuador showing location of Quito Coordinates: Country Ecuador Province Pichincha Canton Quito  - Mayor Paco Moncayo Area approx    - City 290 km²  - Land 290 km²  - Water 0 km² Elevation 2,800 m Population (2005, estimation)  - City 1,865,541 (canton)  - Density ~4,800/km² Time... This article is about the city of Guayaquil. ... Centralization is the process by which the activities of an organization, particularly those regarding decision-making, become concentrated within a particular location and/or group. ...

El Oriente is characterised by rainforest, the sierra by the snow-capped Andes, and the costa by lowlands that are highly fertile and used for agriculture, and for its beaches. The Daintree Rainforest in Queensland, Australia. ... Animation of snowcover changing with the seasons Trees covered with snow Snow covering a leaf. ... Planes view of the Andes, Peru. ...

Ecuador History

The country was rich in history even before the arrival of the Inca. Ecuador was inhabited with numerous civilizations which constructed the ethnic cultural background of Ecuador years before the Incan empire. [1] Many civilization rose throughout Ecuador, such as the Chorre, and the Valdivia which span it's existence before any civilization in the Americas. The most notable groups that existed in Ecuador, before, and during the Incan conquest were the Quitus (near present day Quito), the Cañari (in presentday Cuenca), and the La Vegas Culture (near Guayaquil). Each civilization developed it's own distiguished architecture, pottery, and religious beliefs , while others are under a disputed system of writing by archeologist, an acheivement the Incan did not achieve. After years of fierce resistence the Cañari fell to the Incan expansion, and were assimulated losely into the Incan empire. The Inca were an advanced society. They originated in Peru, and established a great empire in one century. It dominated Peru and extended as far as Bolivia and central Chile. The Inca constructed many cities. To communicate they made stone-highways thousands and sent messengers along them. These messengers passed each other records of the empire's status, which were coded in system of knots along a rope. Remarkably, the Canari, Quitu, and Caras were able to hold back Tupac-Yupanqui, though they proved less successful against his son, Huayna Capac. After conquering Ecuador, Huayna Capac the of the Inca Empire indoctrinated the tribes to Quechua, the language of the Incas, which is still widely spoken in Ecuador. In celebration of his victory, Tupac Yupanqui ordered a great city to be built at Tomebamba, near Cuenca called Pumapungo. When he died in 1526, Huayna Capac divided the empire between his two sons, Atahualpa and Huascar. Atahualpa ruled in the north from Tombebamba, while Huascar ruled in the south from Cuzco. Huascar and Atuahualpa wanted all the empire, the could not share the territory, so an internal war took place. Francisco Pizarro landed in Ecuador in 1532, accompanied by 180 fully armed men, he is mission was to find gold. Several years earlier, Pizarro had made a peaceful visit to the coast, where he heard rumors in Colombia of El Dorado of inland cities which had incredible amounts of gold. This time, he intended to conquer the Incas just as Hernando Cortez did in Mexico--and he couldn't have picked a better time. Atahualpa had only recently won the war against his brother Huascar when Pizarro arrived. Pizarro ambushed the ruler, forced him to collect an enormous ransom, and then executed him. Spanish governors ruled Ecuador for nearly 300 years, first from the viceroyalty of Lima, then later from the viceroyalty of GranColombia. The Spanish introduced Roman Catholicism, colonial architecture, and today's national language. Independence was won in 1822, when the famed South American liberator Simon Bolivar defeated a Spanish army at the Battle of Pichincha The Valdivia Culture thrived in the coast of Ecuador, in a small hill next to the town of Valdivia, between 3500 and 1800 B.C. The discovery of this culture was done in 1956 by the Ecuadorian archeologist Emilio Estrada. ... Nickname: Luz de América Map of Ecuador showing location of Quito Coordinates: Country Ecuador Province Pichincha Canton Quito  - Mayor Paco Moncayo Area approx    - City 290 km²  - Land 290 km²  - Water 0 km² Elevation 2,800 m Population (2005, estimation)  - City 1,865,541 (canton)  - Density ~4,800/km² Time... Before the penetration of the Incas the present area of Cañar province in Ecuador was populated by the brave Cañaris, pleasant but fierce and combative people when he was feeling irresolute. ... List of cities called Cuenca: Cuenca, Ecuador Joara, la Florida, Native American settlement renamed Cuenca by Spanish Cuenca, Spain, the capital of Cuenca province. ... A highway is a major road within a city, or linking several cities together. ... Look up city, City in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... List of cities called Cuenca: Cuenca, Ecuador Joara, la Florida, Native American settlement renamed Cuenca by Spanish Cuenca, Spain, the capital of Cuenca province. ... January 14 - Treaty of Madrid. ... A son is a male offspring; a boy, man, or male animal in relation to his parents. ... Francisco Pizarro Francisco Pizarro (c. ... Events May 16 - Sir Thomas More resigns as Lord Chancellor of England. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... 1822 (MDCCCXXII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

Family

Ecuadorians place great importance on the family, both nuclear and extended. Unlike in much of the West, where the elderly are often placed in care facilities geared towards people of advanced age, elderly Ecuadorians will often live with one of their children. However, in recent years the number of facilities to care for the elderly has grown significantly. A family in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in 1997 A family consists of a domestic group of people (or a number of domestic groups), typically affiliated by birth or marriage, or by analogous or comparable relationships — including domestic partnership, cohabitation, adoption, surname and (in some cases) ownership (as occurred in the... The term nuclear family developed in the western world to distinguish the family group consisting of parents (usually a father and mother) and their children, from what is known as an extended family. ... Extended family (or joint family) is a term with several distinct meanings. ... The term Western world or the West (also on rare occasions called the Occident) can have multiple meanings depending on its context (i. ... Old age consists of ages nearing the average lifespan of human beings, and thus the end of the human life cycle. ...

Godparents are also far more important in Ecuador than in the West, and they are expected to provide both financial and psychological support to their godchildren. For example, Ecuadorians with marital troubles will often ask their godparents for advice. Families are formed in at least one of the following three ways: Civil Marriage (which is the legal form of formalising a bond between a man and a woman and which all married couples are required to undergo), the Religious Marriage (which, Ecuador being a predominantly Catholic country, usually means a marriage ceremony sanctified by the Catholic Church) and the Free Union (where a man and a woman decide to form a family without undergoing any official ceremony). The Ecuadorian Constitution accords the members of a Free Union family the same rights and duties as in any other legally constituted family. A godparent, in some denominations of Christianity, is someone who sponsors a childs baptism. ...

It is important to note that there are many variations in family structure, as well as in the social and cultural structure in Ecuador depending on the socioeconomic position in which people live. Generally the upper classes adopt more of the American or European ways of life. This leads to great contrasts within the Ecuadorian people.

Women

Women are generally responsible for the upbringing and care of children in Ecuador, and traditionally, men have taken a less active role in this area, though recently this has begun to change, with many men doing housework and caring for children when women work away from home. Since 1906 with Eloy Alfaro's liberal revolution, Ecuadorian women gained the right to vote and work. Image of a woman on the Pioneer plaque sent to outer space. ... “Children” redirects here. ... 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Eloy Alfaro Eloy Alfaro Delgado (June 25, 1842-January 28, 1912) was president of Ecuador from 1895 to 1901 and from 1906 to 1911. ...

Girls tend to be more protected by their parents than boys, due to traditional social structures. At 15, girls often have large parties, with its most important aspects being food and dancing. This is a tradition present in most Latin American countries, and is similar to sweet sixteen parties in the US. The Quinceañera or Quince Años (sometimes represented XV Años, meaning fifteen years) is, in some Spanish-speaking regions of the Americas, a young womans celebration of her fifteenth birthday, which is celebrated in a unique and different way from her other birthdays. ... Sweet Sixteen can mean: sweet sixteen (birthday), a party thrown in honor of a girls sixteenth birthday in USA Sweet Sixteen (album), an album by The Huntingtons Sweet Sixteen (Royal Trux album), a 1997 album by Royal Trux Sweet Sixteen (Billy Idol song) A song by Feeder, famed as...

Sports and Entertainment

As with almost all of Latin America, Ecuadorians are ardent fútbol fans, and the national team has shown some successes in international tournaments of the sport in the last few years - for the first time in history it won a place in the World Cup Tournament (the 2002 event hosted by Japan and South Korea). Ecuador achieved a historic feat in Germany 2006 by reaching the knock out stages for the very first time. However, they lost to England on a famous Beckham free kick that put Ecuador out of the tournament. Nevertheless, Ecuadorians are prideful of their soccer team and highly celebrate its victories regardless of how small these are. Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... Football is a ball game played between two teams of eleven players, each attempting to win by scoring more goals than their opponent. ...

Alongside soccer, volleyball is also common, though it is played differently to Western volleyball. The ball is much heavier and there are only three players per team. Volleyball is mostly informally played by both young students and middle aged people alike. Their form of volleyball is called "Ecuavoli" and has more flexible rules. For example, when playing Ecuavoli, you don't have to keep your hands together or clenched. Volleyball is an Olympic sport in which two teams separated by a high net use their hands, arms or (rarely) other parts of their bodies to hit a ball back and forth over the net. ...

Bullfighting, a legacy of Spanish colonisation, is held annually at a large festival in Quito, but it's not popular nation-wide. During December, the inhabitants of Quito celebrate its Foundation Day, which includes a grand celebration lasting for days, called Las fiestas de Quito. The high point of the fiestas is the Corrida de Toros, in which internationally renowned bull fighters are invited to show off their prowess in the arena. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... For the historic phenomenon of colonization and imperialism, see main article colonialism (and also decolonisation). ... Nickname: Luz de América Map of Ecuador showing location of Quito Coordinates: Country Ecuador Province Pichincha Canton Quito  - Mayor Paco Moncayo Area approx    - City 290 km²  - Land 290 km²  - Water 0 km² Elevation 2,800 m Population (2005, estimation)  - City 1,865,541 (canton)  - Density ~4,800/km² Time... Nickname: Luz de América Map of Ecuador showing location of Quito Coordinates: Country Ecuador Province Pichincha Canton Quito  - Mayor Paco Moncayo Area approx    - City 290 km²  - Land 290 km²  - Water 0 km² Elevation 2,800 m Population (2005, estimation)  - City 1,865,541 (canton)  - Density ~4,800/km² Time...

In athletics, Jefferson Pérez gave Ecuador its first ever Olympic gold medal in 1996 in speed walking. Jefferson Pérez (born 1974) is an Ecuadorian track and field athlete. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

Other forms of entertainment popular worldwide are found in Ecuador also, including darts and a variety of card games for adults and marbles, hopscotch and skipping ropes are popular pastimes for children. Carnivals and festivals are also varied through the country and highly expected by the population, usually featuring many traditional games and fun. Some parts celebrate mask carnivals, while others have no official customs, yet all of them are related to a mixture of amerindian and Catholic beliefs. A standard dart board. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Hand-made marbles from West Africa Different glass marbles from a glass-mill For other uses, see Marbles (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Hopscotch (disambiguation). ... An 1800 depiction of jumping rope Jump rope, also known as skipping rope or skip rope, is a game played primarily by children wherein one or more participants jump over a spinning rope so that it passes under their feet and over their heads. ... See also: Carnival Corporation, Carnival Cruise Lines, Carnivàle Swabian-Alemannic carnival clowns in Wolfach, Germany A carnival parade is a public celebration, combining some elements of a circus and public street party, generally during the Carnival Season. ... A festival or fest is an event, usually staged by a local community, which centers on some theme, sometimes on some unique aspect of the community. ... Papierkrattler masks at the Narrensprung 2005 Carnival parade, Ravensburg Germany A mask is a piece of material or kit, usually worn on the face. ...

Fishing, especially for the enormous bagre catfish, which is found at the bottom of rivers and can weigh up to 100 kg, is very popular. Bull sharks are often caught in rivers also. Fishing is the activity of hunting for fish by hooking, trapping, or gathering. ... Families Akysidae Amblycipitidae Amphiliidae Andinichthyidae â€  Ariidae Aspredinidae Astroblepidae Auchenipteridae Austroglanididae Bagridae Callichthyidae Cetopsidae Chacidae Clariidae Claroteidae Cranoglanididae Diplomystidae Doradidae Erethistidae Heptapteridae Hypsidoridae â€  Ictaluridae Lacantuniidae Loricariidae Malapteruridae Mochokidae Nematogenyidae Pangasiidae Pimelodidae Plotosidae Pseudopimelodidae Schilbeidae Scoloplacidae Siluridae Sisoridae Trichomycteridae Conorhynchos (incertae sedis) Ancharias (incertae sedis) Catfish (order Siluriformes) are a very diverse... This bridge across the Danube River links Hungary with Slovakia. ... Binomial name Carcharhinus leucas (Müller and Henle, 1839) Range of bull shark The bull shark, Carcharhinus leucas, also known as the bull whaler, Zambezi River shark or colloquially Zambi, is common worldwide in warm, shallow waters along coasts, and well-known for its unpredictable, often aggressive behavior. ...

Also, the majority of the movies shown in movie theatres in Ecuador come from the United States. The movies are often in English and have Spanish subtitles, but are sometimes translated for family movies.

Cuisine

An Ecuadorian's day, at least as far as his or her diet is concerned, is centred around lunch, rather than dinner as in Western cultures. Sometimes it is the only main dish in their diet. In nutrition, the diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. ... The references in this article would be clearer with a different and/or consistent style of citation, footnoting or external linking. ...

There is no one food that is especially Ecuadorian, as cuisine varies from region to region of the country. For example, costeños (people from the coast) prefer fish, beans and plantains (unripened banana like fruits), while serranos from the mountainous regions prefer meat, rices and potatoes. A giant grouper at the Georgia Aquarium Fish are aquatic vertebrates that are typically cold-blooded; covered with scales, and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins. ... This article is on the plant. ... Plantain is the common name for two very different plants. ... Mortal Kombat character, see Meat (Mortal Kombat). ... Species Oryza glaberrima Oryza sativa Brown basmati rice Terrace of paddy fields in Yunnan Province, southern China. ... Binomial name Solanum tuberosum L. The potato (Solanum tuberosum) is a perennial plant of the Solanaceae, or nightshade, family, grown for its starchy tuber. ...

Some examples of Ecuadorian cuisine in general include patacones, unripe plantains fried in oil, mashed up and then refried, llapingachos, a sort of potato tortillas, and seco de chivo, a type of stew made from goat. More regionalized examples include ceviches from the Coast, which are different from other ceviches and traditionally is served unprepared, as well as almidon breads, plantains served with crushed peanuts or salprieta, and encebollado, the most popular dish in the Coast, that contains a marinade with large chunks of fish, onions and various regional seasonings. Species Musa × paradisiaca A big load of plantains in Masaya, Nicaragua Cooking plantains (pronounced plan-TENZ or plan-TAINZ) are a kind of plantains that are generally used for cooking, as contrasted with the soft, sweet banana varieties (which are sometimes called dessert bananas). ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with vegetable oil. ... Beef Stew A stew is a common dish made of vegetables (particularly potatoes or beans), meat, poultry, or seafood cooked in some sort of broth or sauce. ... Species See Species and subspecies The goat is a mammal in the genus Capra, which consists of nine species: the Ibex, the West Caucasian Tur, the East Caucasian Tur, the Markhor, and the Wild Goat. ... Peruvian ceviche with lobster and shrimp Ceviche (also spelled as cebiche or seviche) is a form of citrus marinated seafood salad that originated in the Viceroyalty of Peru. ... [[Image: |thumb|300px|Typical EcuadorianEncebollado. ... A giant grouper at the Georgia Aquarium Fish are aquatic vertebrates that are typically cold-blooded; covered with scales, and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins. ... For the parody newspaper, see The Onion. ...

One food Ecuador has given the world is beef jerky, the name of which comes from a Quechua word, charqui. =) == The name Jerky comes from the Quechua term charki, meaning dried meat. ... Quechua (Runa Simi; Kichwa in Ecuador) is a Native American language of South America. ...

Language

Most Ecuadorians speak Spanish, though many speak Amerindian languages such as Kichwa, the Ecuadorian dialect of Quechua. Other Amerindian languages spoken in Ecuador include Awapit (spoken by the Awá), A'ingae (spoken by the Cofan), Shuar Chicham (spoken by the Shuar), Achuar-Shiwiar (spoken by the Achuar and the Shiwiar), Cha'palaachi (spoken by the Chachi), Tsa'fiki (spoken by the Tsa'chila), Paicoca (spoken by the Siona and Secoya) and Wao Tededo (spoken by the Waorani). Native Americans (also Indians, Aboriginal Peoples, American Indians, First Nations, Alaskan Natives, or Indigenous Peoples of America) are the indigenous inhabitants of The Americas prior to the European colonization, and their modern descendants. ... Kichwa (Kichwa shimi, Runashimi, also Spanish Quichua) is a Quechuan language including all Quechua varieties spoken in Ecuador and Colombia (Inga) by approximately 2,500,000 people. ... Quechua (Runa Simi; Kichwa in Ecuador) is a Native American language of South America. ... The Awá are an endangered indigenous group of people living in the eastern Amazon forests of Brazil. ... The Cofán (also called Kofan, Kofane, or A’i) people are an indigenous people native to Napo Province northeast Ecuador and southern Colombia, between the Guamués River (a tributary of the Putumayo River) and the Aguaricó River (a tributary of the Napo River). ... Shuar, in the Shuar language, means people.[1] The people who speak the Shuar language live in tropical rainforest between the upper mountains of the Andes, and the tropical rainforests and savannas of the Amazonian lowlands, in Ecuador and Peru. ... Achuar-Shiwiar is an American Jivaroan language spoken along the Morona, Macusari, Tigre, Huasaga, and Corrientes rivers in Perú and along the Pastaza and Bobonaza rivers in Ecuador. ... Shuar, in the Shuar language, means people. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Siona Atreides is a fictional character in Frank Herberts Dune universe. ... The Waorani (also spelled Huaorani or Waodani, and called Wao for short) are an indigenous people of Ecuador, living between the right bank of the Napo River and the left bank of the Curaray River. ...

Though most features of Ecuadorian Spanish are universal in the Spanish-speaking world, there are several idiosyncrasies.

Costeños tend to speak more quickly and louder than serranos, and most of them do so in a very informal way. A common term costeños use to call each other is mijo, a portmanteau of sorts for "my son" (mi hijo). Several such terms originate from their fast speech, and they have intrincate language humor and jokes, difficult to translate or even understand in other regions. Also, each coaprovince has a different variety of accent with specific different terms. A portmanteau (IPA pronunciation: ) or blend is a word or morpheme which fuses two or more words or parts of words to give a combined meaning. ...

Serranos usually speak softly, and very respectfully. Traditionally they are seen as more conservative, and use a number of Kichwa-originated terms in their everyday speech, often puzzling to other regions. A widely known example is the word guagua, which means child in Kichwa. Their speech comes from their Incan amerindian roots and can be seen as a variation of other Andean accents. For other meanings of Inca, see Inca (disambiguation). ... The word Andean refers to the geographic area in and around the Andes Mountains of South America, and to the indigenous peoples that inhabit the area, such as the Inca. ...

Whistling, yelling or yawning to get someone's attention is considered rude, yet informally done. Whistling is the production of sound by means of a constant breath of air from the mouth. ... A dog yawning A yawn (synonyms chasma, pendiculation, oscitation from the Latin verb oscitare, to open the mouth wide[1]) is a reflex of deep inhalation and exhalation associated with being tired, with a need to sleep, or from lack of stimulation. ...

Art and Literature

• List of Master Ecuadorian painters

Graffiti is integral to the urban culture of Quito. Nearly every wall of the city was covered in it, leading to the rise of the saying "No wall is blank in Quito". However, this has reduced giving the city a much cleaner look, and reducing the gangs in Quito. Graffiti has spread to other provinces, and is usually artistic or political, and often poetic. This is a list of Ecuadorian painters. ... Graffiti (strictly, as singular, graffito, from the Italian — graffiti being the plural) are images or letters applied without permission to publicly viewable surfaces such as walls or bridges. ... Urban culture is the culture of cities. ... Nickname: Luz de América Map of Ecuador showing location of Quito Coordinates: Country Ecuador Province Pichincha Canton Quito  - Mayor Paco Moncayo Area approx    - City 290 km²  - Land 290 km²  - Water 0 km² Elevation 2,800 m Population (2005, estimation)  - City 1,865,541 (canton)  - Density ~4,800/km² Time... The Bath, a painting by Mary Cassatt (1844-1926). ... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions. ... The Chinese poem Quatrain on Heavenly Mountain by Emperor Gaozong (Song Dynasty) Poetry (from the Greek , poiesis, making or creating) is a form of art in which language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its ostensible meaning. ...

Music is very important in Ecuador, with differences between Coast and Highlands. Generally, pan pipes, flutes of bamboo, violins, drums and charangos all played often, but with different purposes. For instance, in the Sierra popular tunes played at fiestas include "Rosa Maria" and "El Condor Pasa", with sanjuanito being an easily recognizable genre. In the Costa, the instruments are played mostly for cumbia, salsa, and pasillos. Costeños have two kinds of purposes for music, the rhythm-filled one which is played in most places, be it in public like in the bus or in parties, and the slow, moarnful pasillos and rocolas, which are exclusive to old bars. The slow tunes are humoristically known as cortavenísticos ("vein-cutting") because of their overall sadness. For other uses, see Music (disambiguation). ... Pan pipes (also known as the panflute or the syrinx or quills) is an ancient musical instrument based on the principle of the stopped pipe, consisting usually of ten or more pipes of gradually increasing length. ... The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. ... Diversity Around 91 genera and 1,000 species Subtribes Arthrostylidiinae Arundinariinae Bambusinae Chusqueinae Guaduinae Melocanninae Nastinae Racemobambodinae Shibataeinae See the full Taxonomy of the Bambuseae. ... The violin is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. ... Bass drum made from wood, rope, and cowskin A drum is common considered to be the oldest musical instrument known to man. ... Visit the Guitar Portal A Bolivian charango This article is about an instrument. ... Fiesta can mean: A festival , party, or pasta. ... Genera Vultur Gymnogyps Condor is the name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. ... Cumbia is originally a Colombian folk dance and dance music and is Colombias representative national dance and music along with vallenato. ... Salsa music is a diverse and predominantly Spanish Caribbean genre that is popular across Latin America and among Latinos. ... Pasillo (Spanish: Corridor) is a genre of indigenous Latin music. ...

Ambato, a city in central Ecuador, is known as the "City of the three Juanes", with Juan Montalvo (a novelist and essayist), Juan León Mera (author of the words to Ecuador's national anthem, "Salve, Oh Patria") and Juan Benigo Vela (another novelist and essayist) all sharing it as a place of birth. Other important writers include Eugenio Espejo, from colonial Quito, whose works inspired the fight for freedom from Spain in Ecuador and touched a number of topics, and novelist and poet Horacio Hidrovo Velásquez, from early century's Manabí, whose works have inspired films. Monument of Juan Montalvo in Ambato, Ecuador Ambato (full form, San Juan de Ambato) is a city in the centre of Ecuador, lying on the banks of the Ambato River. ... Juan Montalvo (April 13, 1832 - January 17, 1889) was an Ecuadorian author and essayist, generally thought to be one of Ecuadors best writers of the period. ... A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative, typically in prose. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Juan León Mera Juan León Mera Martínez (June 28, 1832, Ambato—December 13, 1894) was an Ecuadorian poet, novelist, journalist, critic, politician and satirist. ... A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that is evoking and eulogizing the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nations government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Francisco Javier Eugenio de Santa Cruz y Espejo (born Luis Chuzhig) (Royal Audience of Quito, 1747-1795) was a medical pioneer, writer and lawyer of mestizo origin in colonial Ecuador. ... Nickname: Luz de América Map of Ecuador showing location of Quito Coordinates: Country Ecuador Province Pichincha Canton Quito  - Mayor Paco Moncayo Area approx    - City 290 km²  - Land 290 km²  - Water 0 km² Elevation 2,800 m Population (2005, estimation)  - City 1,865,541 (canton)  - Density ~4,800/km² Time... Manabí is a province in Ecuador. ... Film may refer to: photographic film a motion picture in academics, the study of motion pictures as an art form a thin skin or membrane, or any covering or coating, whether transparent or opaque a thin layer of liquid, either on a solid or liquid surface or free-standing Film...

Music and Races

In addition to the numerous native cultures, Ecuador is home to a Mestizo culture, and a sizable Afro-Ecuadorian culture (approximately a half-million), "In the mid-16th century, at least two slave ships from Panama bound for Peru wrecked on the shores of what is now Esmeraldas province. The African slaves established a maroon society (freed slaves), and maintained autonomy during much of the colonial era". [2] Today's Afro-Ecuadorians are famous for their marimba music and dance [festivals]]. Long before the Spanish conquest, and even much before the Inca civilization, the diverse native cultures of the region had rich musical traditions. Ancient flutes, trumpets, drums, and other musical artifacts have been found in tombs. Music was obviously important in the human and supernatural worlds of ancient Andean people. The word culture comes from the Latin root colere (to inhabit, to cultivate, or to honor). ... For other meanings of Inca, see Inca (disambiguation). ...

With the coming of the Spanish conquerors in the 16th century, accompanied by Catholic missionaries and African slaves, additional musical languages were introduced. Today, three principal racial and cultural strains - Indigenous, Spanish, and African - have evolved into distinctive musical styles. El Pasillo is slow, sad music that is played mainly with the guitar and rondin, a flute-like instrument consisting of several pipes. The El Pasacalle type of music has an upbeat rhythym and is excellent for dancing. El Yarabi is the most popular of the music from the Andes. It is very sentimental and great for listening. ^{[attribution needed]}

External Links

• Ecuador people and culture [3]
• Hip ECUADOR [4]
• Ecuador [5]

See also

• Latin American culture
• Hispanic culture
• Music of Ecuador