Distance between San Francisco and Guayaquil, Ecuador: 4,047 Nautical
Miles
The history of pre-Inca Ecuador is lost in a time and legend, and the
earliest historical details date back only as far as the 11th century
AD. It is commonly believed that Asian nomads reached the South American
continent by about 12,000 BC and were later joined by Polynesian colonizers.
Centuries of tribal expansion, warfare and alliances resulted in the relatively
stable Duchicela lineage, which ruled more or less peacefully for about
150 years until the arrival of the Incas around 1450 AD.
The Inca kingdom survived until the arrival of Spanish invaders who landed
in Eucador in 1526. Pizarro reached the country in 1532 and spread terror
among the Indians thanks to his conquistadors' horses, armor and weaponry.
The Inca empire was demolished. Quito held out for two years but was eventually
razed by Atahualpa's general, Rumiñahui, rather than be lost intact
to the invading Spaniards. Quito was refounded in December 1534.
Spain ruled the colony from Lima, Peru, until 1739, when it was transferred
to the viceroyalty of Colombia. It was largely rural and conservative,
with large estates of introduced cattle and bananas farmed by forced
labor. Independence was finally achieved by Simón Bolívar
in 1822. Full constitutional sovereignty was gained in 1830.
GUAYAQUIL
The "Republic of the Equator" was one of three countries that emerged
from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Colombia
and Venezuela). Between 1904 and 1942, Ecuador lost territories in a series
of conflicts with its neighbors. A border war with Peru that flared in
1995 was resolved in 1999. Although Ecuador marked 25 years of civilian
governance in 2004, the period has been marred by political instability.
Nine presidents have governed Ecuador since 1996.
