Advanced indigenous cultures flourished in Ecuador long before the area was conquered by the Inca empire in the 15th century. In 1534 the Spanish arrived and defeated the Inca armies and Spanish colonists became the new elite. The indigenous population was decimated by disease in the first decades of Spanish rule--a time when the natives were also forced into the "encomienda" labor system for Spanish landlords. In 1563 Quito became the seat of a royal audiencia (administrative district) of Spain.

After independence forces defeated the royalist army in 1822 Ecuador joined Simon Bolivar's Republic of Gran Colombia only to become a separate republic in 1830. The 19th century was marked by instability with a rapid succession of rulers. The conservative Gabriel Garcia Moreno unified the country in the 1860s with the support of the Catholic Church. In the late 1800s world demand for cocoa tied the economy to commodity exports and led to migrations from the highlands to the agricultural frontier on the coast. A coastal-based liberal revolution in 1895 under Eloy Alfaro reduced the power of the clergy and opened the way for capitalist development.

The end of the cocoa boom produced renewed political instability and a military coup in 1925. The 1930s and 1940s were marked by populist politicians such as five-time president Jose Velasco Ibarra. In January 1942 Ecuador signed the Rio Protocol to end a brief war with Peru the year before; Ecuador agreed to a border that conceded to Peru much territory Ecuador previously had claimed in the Amazon. After World War II a recovery in the market for agricultural commodities and the growth of the banana industry helped restore prosperity and political peace. From 1948-60 three presidents--beginning with Galo Plaza--were freely elected and completed their terms.

Recession and popular unrest led to a return to populist politics and domestic military interventions in the 1960s while foreign companies developed oil resources in the Ecuadoran Amazon. In 1972 a nationalist military regime seized power and used the new oil wealth and foreign borrowing to pay for a program of industrialization land reform and subsidies for urban consumers. With the oil boom fading Ecuador returned to democracy in 1979 but by 1982 the government faced a chronic economic crisis including inflation budget deficits a falling currency mounting debt service and uncompetitive industries.

The 1984 presidential elections were narrowly won by Leon Febres-Cordero of the Social Christian Party (PSC). During the first years of his administration Febres-Cordero introduced free-market economic policies took strong stands against drug trafficking and terrorism and pursued close relations with the United States. His tenure was marred by bitter wrangling with other branches of government and his own brief kidnaping by elements of the military. A devastating earthquake in March 1987 interrupted oil exports and worsened the country's economic problems.

Rodrigo Borja of the Democratic Left (ID) party won the presidency in 1988. His government was committed to improving human rights protection and carried out some reforms notably an opening of Ecuador to foreign trade. The Borja Government concluded an accord leading to the disbanding of the small terrorist group Alfaro Lives. However continuing economic problems undermined the popularity of the ID and opposition parties gained control of Congress in 1990.

In 1992 Sixto Duran-Ballen won in his third run for the presidency. His government's popularity suffered from tough macroeconomic adjustment measures but it succeeded in pushing a limited number of modernization initiatives through Congress. Duran-Ballen's vice president Alberto Dahik was the architect of the administration's economic policies but in 1995 Dahik fled the country to avoid prosecution on corruption charges following a heated political battle with the opposition. A war with Peru erupted in January-February 1995 in a small remote region where the boundary prescribed by the 1942 Rio Protocol was in dispute.

Abdala Bucaram from the Guayaquil-based Ecuadorian Roldosista Party (PRE) won the presidency in 1996 on a platform that promised populist economic and social reforms and the breaking of what Bucaram termed as the power of the nation's oligarchy. During his short term of office Bucaram's administration drew criticism for corruption. Bucaram was deposed by the Congress in February 1997 on grounds of alleged mental incompetence. In his place Congress named Interim President Fabian Alarcon who had been President of Congress and head of the small Radical Alfarist Front party. Alarcon's interim presidency was endorsed by a May 1997 popular referendum.

Congressional and first-round presidential elections were held on May 31 1998. No presidential candidate obtained a majority so a run-off election between the top two candidates Quito Mayor Jamil Mahuad of the Popular Democracy party and Alvaro Noboa was held on July 12 1998. Mahuad won by a narrow margin. He took office on August 10 1998. On the same day Ecuador's new constitution came into effect.

Hotels in Riobamba
If you're staying in Riobamba and need a hotel, here's a list of my favorites: 1. Hotel Metro: This hotel is located in Riobamba's "center", located across the street from the police station. The hotel itself isn't of high quality, but one night runs around $2. 2. Hotel Los Andes: This hotel is located across the street from the city's biggest park, Parque Enfantil(a.k.a. Parque Quayaquil) Again, the hotel is not of good quality, but the cost is around $2.50 per night and is very secure. In front of the hotel is a hamburger cart which makes the best hamburgers you'll ever taste. They cost around $1.50. Vegitarian hamburgers are about 75 cents. 3. Hotel Tren Dorado: This hotel is located on the streets of Carabobo and La Avenida. The cost is around $10 and the provisions are very nice. Just be carefull, it is a tourist trap and they'll take every cent you have if you don't know the language. If you're ever in need of a pharmacy, don't go to the nearest one, go to Farmacia Cumanda. It can be found on Guayaquil Street, between Carabobo and Rocafuerte. They are very nice and the lady there speaks english. They have just about anything that you would ever need. Tell them that Brett sent you.

Nariz Del Diablo
In the town of Riobamba, Ecuador, you can taka a 3-6 hour train trip through the Andean Sierra on one of the oldest trains in the world to a place called "Nariz Del Diablo", or "Devel's Nose". The trip starts every Sunday morning at 6 p.m., at Riobamba's train station. The cost should be around $14 for a ticket. The proceeds go to reparation of their antequated railroad system. Wear a light jacket and be sure to bring food and water.