Pre-Columbian Era
Independence Era
Modern Ecuador
Culture & Society
Colonial Period
100
What ancient civilization inhabited the coastal regions of Ecuador before the Incas?
The Valdivia culture
100
On what date did Quito achieve its first independence movement (First Cry of Independence)?
August 10, 1809
100
What war did Ecuador fight with Peru over disputed Amazon territory in 1941?
The Ecuadorian-Peruvian War
100
What is the name of the traditional Andean panpipe instrument popular in Ecuador?
Rondador
100
In what year did the Spanish conquistador Sebastián de Benalcázar found Quito?
1534
200
What was the name of the Inca ruler who conquered the Kingdom of Quito?
Túpac Yupanqui
200
Which battle definitively secured Ecuador's independence from Spain?
The Battle of Pichincha
200
What currency did Ecuador adopt in 2000 to combat hyperinflation?
US Dollar
200
Which Ecuadorian city's historic center was the first to be declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
Quito
200
What was the name of the administrative division that included Ecuador during most of the colonial period?
Real Audiencia of Quito
300
Which indigenous kingdom ruled the Quito region before the Inca conquest?
Kingdom of Quito (Shyris)
300
What was the name of the confederation Ecuador initially joined after independence?
Gran Colombia
300
Which president was overthrown in 2000 following indigenous protests and economic crisis?
President Jamil Mahuad
300
What famous Ecuadorian writer wrote 'Huasipungo', depicting indigenous exploitation?
Jorge Icaza
300
Which artistic movement flourished in colonial Quito, making it a major cultural center?
Quito School (Escuela Quiteña)
400
In what approximate year did the Valdivia culture begin producing pottery?
3500 BCE
400
Who was Ecuador's first president after separating from Gran Colombia in 1830?
General Juan José Flores
400
In what year did Ecuador's new constitution declare nature (Pachamama) to have constitutional rights?
2008
400
Who was the Enlightenment-era thinker known as the 'First Criollo' and precursor to independence?
Eugenio Espejo
400
What year did the French Geodesic Mission arrive in Ecuador to measure the equator?
1736