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Juan José Flores, Founder of the Republic
Juan José Flores was Ecuador’s first president and is remembered today as “The Founder of the Republic”. Although born in Venezuela in the year 1800, Flores spent most of his life in the service of Ecuador and was instrumental in both the attainment and maintenance of the country’s independence in an era in which national borders were far from being set in stone.
Ecuador’s Dark Secret: World Class Coffee
When you think of coffee and where it’s grown, countries like Brazil and Colombia are usually what come to mind. And why not... Brazil is the world’s largest coffee exporter with up to one third of all coffee produced in a good year. Colombia is also a major exporter, and has benefited from a series of successful marketing campaigns (can you say “Juan Valdez”?) to boost their coffee’s reputation. Not many would mention Ecuador, yet this small Andean country was once one of the world’s leading coffee exporters.
Ecuador: Afro-Ecuadorians and the Culture of Esmeraldas
Once the “forgotten people” of Ecuador, citizens of African heritage are at last beginning to achieve the notice and attention of not only their own government, but of the world as a whole. The national soccer team that progressed farther in the FIFA World Cup 2006 tournament than in any other previous year, and on that team was a preponderance of Afro-Ecuadorian players.
Ecuador’s Fishing Industry
Ecuador is a land of many regional variations, ranging from the Pacific coastal lowlands to the mountains and volcanoes of the majestic Andes running down the country’s spine, to finally the lush, verdant rainforests of the Amazonian east. While much has been made of the Andes, even to the point that Ecuador is considered an “Andean nation”, it is the Pacific lowlands along the coast - and the rich ocean waters that break upon them - that have proven to be Ecuador’s salvation.
Ecuador: Headhunters of the Forest
Deep in the rainforest that stretches across the eastern part of Ecuador and parts of Peru lives a tribe known as the Jivaro. These fearsome warriors were among one of the very few tribal groups anywhere in the world who successfully resisted conquest and colonization by European forces. The lands of the Jivaro were known to be a source of gold, and in the late 16th century the Spanish administration established a town in Jivaro territory as a base for gold mining expeditions. The governor of the region was cruel and greedy, and he placed a crippling gold trading tax on those Jivaro who fell under his purview. This soon sparked a revolt in which up to 25,000 people who lived in the town of Logrono were killed. The governor was captured by the Jivaro, who poured molten gold into his mouth until he died (one would assume quickly). Legends say, the Jivaro taunted him by asking "Have you had your fill of gold now?"
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