Industrial and commercial South America

South of Colombia, fortunate in its Atlantic and Pacific Coast lines, are three exclusively Pacific countries, unless we count a rearward communication, so to speak, with the Atlantic by the Amazon for the first two, or note that the coast line of the third runs at the south quite to that ocean. Ecuador, Peru, and Chile, in the order named, now occupy the remaining Pacific coast line for the several thousand miles from Colombia to the Horn. In the group of West Coast States, however, Bolivia may be counted, for though nearly forty years ago she lost her small strip of coast line, her communication with the outside world is chiefly by way of the Pacific, and with these Republics she has characteristics in common.

Area, Population, Boundary

Area. First of the West Coast countries from the north, Ecuador has an uncertain area on account of boundary disputes. That with Colombia is lately settled, but not the one with Peru. With approximately 116,000 square miles now in her possession, she is usually ranked as next to the smallest South American Republic, Uruguay. The country extends from about 2° North Lat. to 6° South.

Population. As no official census of Ecuador has ever been taken, the population is variously stated. A liberal estimate places the figures at 2,000,000.

Boundary. Ecuador’s boundary is uncertain as to the matter of touching Brazil. However, she has Colombia on the north and northeast, Peru on the south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west; most maps give Peru a section on the southeast as well, shutting Ecuador off from Brazil.

History

From the remote past, Ecuador has been inhabited by many tribes of Indians; one of these held sway at Quito for a thousand years before their subjugation by the Peruvian Incas. Less than a century later Pizarro arrived with the Spaniards. Hardly had these conquered Peru, when in 1534, the year following the overthrow of Atahuallpa, Pizarro dispatched Diego de Almagro and Sebastian de Benalcazar for the conquest of Ecuador, after which a few settlements were made. In 1538, Gonzalo Pizarro, brother of the conqueror, became Governor. In 1540, with Francisco de Orellana and a large expedition, he went east, descending through the forests to the Napo River. There a boat was built in which Orellana with others sailed down to the Amazon, then on to the Atlantic Ocean, thus first exploring the greatest river on the globe to which he gave its present name.

For almost three centuries Ecuador was ruled by Spain, most of the time under the authority of the Viceroy at Lima, until in 1822 occurred the decisive battle of Pichincha, which assured the independence of Ecuador. Soon after, the country joined New Granada and Venezuela in the Colombian Federation, but in 1830 set up for itself a separate republic. Many difficulties, insurrections, and revolutions have occurred quite up to the present time, 11 changes of the constitution since 1830; but settled conditions favorable to the country’s development are now hoped for.

Government

Ecuador is a centralized rather than a federal republic, with the usual three departments. The President, elected for four years by direct vote, is ineligible for the consecutive term. Congress consists of a Senate with 32 members and a Chamber of Deputies with 48. Suffrage is limited to males over 21 years of age, who can read and write. The Judiciary consists of a Supreme Court at Quito, and six others in as many large towns, municipal and civil courts, and justices of the peace. The Provinces are administered by Governors named by the Executive, the Departments or Cantons by jefes politicos, political chiefs, the Parishes by political lieutenants, and the municipalities by presidents.

The Republic, the capital of which is Quito, has 15 Provinces and two Territories. Of the former, five are along the coast, and ten are inland occupying the mountainous section. The coastal Provinces from the north are Esmeraldas, Manabí, Guayas, and El Oro. Los Rios, although not touching the coast, may be counted with them, as occupying a part of the lowlands, it shares most of their characteristics. The mountain Provinces, beginning at the north are Carchi, Imbabura, Pichincha, León, Tungurahua, Chimborazo, Bolívar, Cañar, Azuay, Loja. Of the two Territories, Oriente is of course the section at the east, which belongs to the Amazon Basin, the other is the Galápagos Islands, nearly 600 miles from the main land.

These divisions, with approximate area and population, their capitals with population and altitude follow:

Population

The population of Ecuador, approximately 2,000,000, as in all of these tropical countries is in three principal classes: the whites, the pure Indians, and the mestizos, those of mixed blood, here Spanish and Indian. There are also some negroes, mulattoes, and zambos, the last of negro and Indian blood. Those who in these tropical countries are called white in most cases no doubt have a slight Indian strain, as few women were among the earliest settlers; but no prejudice exists on this account. Even when the Indian strain is apparent, having money and education they enjoy the same social standing and occupy the highest positions. Those of pure Spanish blood in most of the countries must be few. The whites with some of the mestizos form a cultured class with the manners and customs for the most part of such society anywhere. The sons of wealthy families are often educated abroad and many have traveled in Europe. Paris fashions in dress are followed and continental customs generally. Courtesy is a marked characteristic, possibly carried to excess.

The bulk of the population is frankly mestizo and Indian. The mestizos may be more than one half of the population, the Indians perhaps one quarter. The Indian population may be regarded as in three principal classes of widely different character: those of the coast, of the highlands, and of the Amazon Basin. The Indians of the coast region were of various tribes speaking different languages. Superficially christianized, most of them have become more or less amalgamated with the whites or with negroes, but in the forests of Esmeraldas where the Indians, living under similar conditions, closely resemble those of the Napo district, the Cayapas retain their language and customs, continuing to live apart from and to avoid the whites. If not molested they are hospitable and affable with strangers.

The Indians on the uplands are similar to those on the Peruvian Plateau, timid and distrustful of foreigners, including the native whites. They constitute the greater part of the laboring class and while not slaves in name they are forced to work for a pittance, and they live as a rule in extreme poverty and ignorance. Laws for their protection are generally ignored, and throughout the entire Andine region they are undoubtedly in a far lower condition than when the Spaniards invaded the country. The mestizos, instead of sympathizing with them, generally treat them worse than do the whites, some of whom recognize the abuses to which the Indians are subject and desire to improve their condition. The Indians are strong and vigorous, especially as to carrying heavy burdens for great distances. Like many other persons they have an unfortunate weakness for alcohol. The men wear short loose trousers or drawers of linen or cotton, a shirt, and most important, a woolen poncho. They go much with bare feet, but usually have sandals made of maguey fibre or rawhide. The women wear a skirt, a cloth covering the body, and a manta or shawl in which the baby (there usually is one) or some other object is carried. With a little education, kind, just treatment, and decent wages, these people would be converted into a working class of far greater value than at present, highly serviceable for the development and progress of the various countries.

Totally dissimilar are the Indians of the Amazonian forest, of whom there are 46 tribes north of the Marañón, though the differences among them are ascribed to environment, rather than to diversity of race. These wear no clothing or a loin cloth. Many are fairly light colored and in general they are well formed. Their weapons are bows and arrows, and the blowpipe used also by the Cayapas. Some of the tribes are especially savage, as the Jíbaros and the Huambisa Indians. The former in early times destroyed the Spanish colonies on the Amazon affluents, while the latter in 1599 seized the Spanish women after sacking Sevilla de Oro. Both of these tribes have a considerable admixture of Spanish blood and are sometimes fair skinned. They have a reputation for treachery and cruelty, but it is said that their savage deeds are in retaliation for countless wrongs previously inflicted by white men, as in the case of recent atrocities.

The mestizos who live among the whites and intermarry with them class themselves with them whenever their economic position permits. Dwelling in remote regions and in villages among the Indians they tend to revert to the Indian type. Until they acquire wealth they form the artisan element, the traders, and the shopkeepers.

Education

Primary education is free and obligatory, but the number of schools is insufficient, and a large part of the people are indifferent. Eighty thousand pupils are in attendance, and 4500 more in the secondary schools. There are universities at Quito, Guayaquil, and Cuenca; six Schools of Arts and Trades, also Schools of Agriculture, and other institutions of a technical or professional character. The machinery of education is equal to that of its neighbors if not in advance, but too many professional men are found in all the countries.

Press, Religion, etc.

Press. Excellent newspapers exist, notably in Guayaquil and Quito, influencing civic progress.

Religion. In 1904 the Church was placed under the control of the State, and all religions were made equal before the law. The women are devoted to the Catholic Church, as in all the South American countries, but the educated men are largely materialists. Civil marriage and divorce were established in 1904.

Telegraph. There are several thousand telephones, mostly in Guayaquil, and about 6000 miles of telegraph wire. The rates are 10 cents for 10 words, and 5 cents for 10 words additional. Cable connection is made at Santa Elena on the Pacific, which has also a wireless station.

Money. A condor is a gold coin equal to an English pound, and to 10 sucres. A sucre is therefore 48.6 cents. The sucre equals 100 centavos. The sucres and some smaller coins are silver. The coinage of Peru is similar. It is easy to remember that a sucre or a Peruvian sol is about half a dollar, a centavo half a cent.

The Metric System is legal, but the old Spanish weights and measures, as in Colombia, are much used.