Culture of Ecuador

The majority of the Ecuadorian population is mestizo, a mixture of both European and Amerindian ancestry, and much like their ancestry, the national culture is also a blend of these two sources, along with influences from Africa. 96% of Ecuador's population is German, Italian,and Spaniard descent. 95% of Ecuadorians are Roman Catholic, although their Christian beliefs are mixed with ancient indigenous customs.

Ecuador can be split up into four parts, geographically; the Costa (coast), the Sierra (Highlands) and El Oriente (the east; which includes the Amazonic region). The Galapagos islands, or Archipiélago de Colón also belong to Ecuador.

There is tension and dislike between the residents of Quito and Guayaquil. Additionally, there is centralism in these two cities, so people from other provinces also tend to dislike its residents. Furthermore, due to the at times extreme cultural difference between the Coast and the Sierra, there is a general dislike between those two regions that traces back to prehispanic times.^{[citation needed]}

History

Ecuador was inhabited with numerous civilizations which constructed the ethnic cultural background of Ecuador years before the Inca empire. [1] Many civilizations rose throughout Ecuador, such as the Chorre and the Valdivia, the latter of which spans its existence before any civilization in the Americas. The most notable groups that existed in Ecuador before, and during the Inca conquest were the Quitus (near present-day Quito), the Cañari (in present-day Cuenca), and the Las Vegas Culture (near Guayaquil). Each civilization developed its own distinguished architecture, pottery, and religious beliefs, while others developed archaeologically disputed systems of writing (an achievement the Incas did not achieve). After years of fierce resistance, the Cañari succumbed to the Inca expansion, and were assimilated loosely under the Inca empire. The Inca were an advanced society which originated in Peru, and established a great empire within one century. It dominated Peru and extended as far as Bolivia and central Chile. To communicate with each other they developed stone-paved highways spanning thousands of miles used by messengers. These messengers passed each other records of the empire's status, which are sometimes thought to have been encoded in a system of knots called quipu. Remarkably, the Cañari, Quitus, and Caras were able to hold back Tupac-Yupanqui for years, though they proved less successful against his son, Huayna Capac. After conquering Ecuador, Huayna Capac imposed upon the tribes the use of the Quechua (or Kichwa) language, lingua franca of the Inca and still widely spoken in Ecuador. The Cañaris were the strongest, and fiercest group in Ecuador to fall, and after their collapse and subsequent assimilation, the conquest of lands north became easier.

In celebration of his victory, Tupac Yupanqui ordered a great city to be built at Tomebamba, near Cuenca called Pumapungo over the ancient Cañari town. When he died in 1526, Huayna Capac divided the empire between his two sons, Atahualpa and Huascar. Atahualpa ruled in the north from Quito, while Huascar ruled in the south from Cuzco. Huascar and Atuahualpa wanted all the empire, the could not share the territory, so an internal war took place. Francisco Pizarro landed in Ecuador in 1532, accompanied by 180 fully armed men, he is mission was to find gold. Several years earlier, Pizarro had made a peaceful visit to the coast, where he heard rumors in Colombia of El Dorado of inland cities which had incredible amounts of gold. This time, he intended to conquer the Incas just as Hernando Cortez did in Mexico--and he couldn't have picked a better time. Atahualpa had only recently won the war against his brother Huascar when Pizarro arrived. Pizarro ambushed the ruler, forced him to collect an enormous ransom, and then executed him. Spanish governors ruled Ecuador for nearly 300 years, first from the viceroyalty of Lima, then later from the viceroyalty of GranColombia. The Spanish introduced Roman Catholicism, colonial architecture, and today's national language. Independence was won in 1822, when the famed South American liberator Simon Bolivar joined Sucre and defeated a Spanish army at the Battle of Pichincha.

Regionalism

Regionalism is a most destructive force that has continued to ravage Ecuador since the rise of segregated towns. Each region is divided between different, and unique topographic geography creating a sense of individual pride of their side. The most notable regional competition or confrontation is between Guayaquileños, and Quiteños. This sense of regionalism has created many barriers between people and has always been a destructive force in the country. Due to regionalism the economy suffered severely because either side hesitates to do anything that might result in the expansion of the other's economy, even if it would mean retarding their own economy. During War regionalism was considerably abated, but there are significant reports in which such boundaries ended in individuals betraying their country due to their continuing desire to see the other region lose. One example alleges that someone had given information to enemy troops during Tawantinzuma. Most of the regional fighting occurs among teenagers, and college students.

Family

Ecuadorians place great importance on the family, both nuclear and extended. Unlike in much of the West, where the elderly are often placed in care facilities geared towards people of advanced age, elderly Ecuadorians will often live with one of their children. However, in recent years the number of facilities to care for the elderly has grown significantly.

Godparents are also far more important in Ecuador than in the West, and they are expected to provide both financial and psychological support to their godchildren. Precisely for that reason, Ecuadorians with marital troubles will often ask their godparents for advice. Families are formed in at least one of the following two ways: Civil Marriage (which is the legal form of formalising a bond between a man and a woman and which all married couples are required to undergo) and the Free Union (where a man and a woman decide to form a family without undergoing any official ceremony). The Ecuadorian Constitution accords the members of a Free Union family the same rights and duties as in any other legally constituted family.

It is important to note that there are many variations in family structure, as well as in the social and cultural structure in Ecuador depending on the socioeconomic position in which people live. Generally the upper classes adopt more of the American or European ways of life. This leads to great contrasts within the Ecuadorian people.

Women

Women are generally responsible for the upbringing and care of children and of husbands in Ecuador, and traditionally, men have taken completely inactive role in this area. Recently this has begun to change, due to the fact that more and more women are joining the workforce resulting in men doing a little housework becoming slightly involved in the care of their children. This change has been greatly influenced by Eloy Alfaro's liberal revolution in 1906, in which Ecuadorian women were granted the right to work. Woman's suffrage was granted in 1929.

Girls tend to be more protected by their parents than boys, due to traditional social structures. At 15, girls often have traditional parties called fiesta de pollo quince quinceañeras is a term used for the girl not the party, the party involves food and dance. This is a coming out party or debutante where the girl is now of age. This is a tradition found in most Latin American countries and is comparable to the American tradition of sweet sixteen parties.

Celebrations

Carnivals and festivals are also varied through the country and are highly expected by the population, usually featuring many traditional games and fun. Some parts celebrate mask carnivals, while others have no official customs, yet all of them are related to a mixture of amerindian and Catholic beliefs.^{[clarification needed]}

Television and cinema

Main articles: Cinema of Ecuador and Television in Ecuador

The majority of the movies shown in movie theatres in Ecuador come from the United States. The movies are often in English and have Spanish subtitles, but are sometimes translated for family movies.

The Ecuador Film Company was founded in Guayaquil, in 1924. During the early twenties to early thirties, Ecuador enjoyed its Cinema Golden Age Era. However, the production of motion pictures declined with the coming of sound.

Beyond the Gates of Splendor (2002), directed by Jim Hanon, is a documentary about five missionaries killed by the Huaorani Indians in the 1950s. He recycles the story in the 2006 Hollywood production End of the Spear. Most of this film was shot in Panama.

Entre Marx y una Mujer Desnuda (Between Marx and a Nude Woman, 1995), by Ecuadorian Camilo Luzuriaga, provides a window into the life of young Ecuadorian leftists living in a country plagued by the remnants of feudal systems and coup d'etats. It is based on a novel by Jorge Enrique Adoum

In addition to film, there are numerous books and novels based on Ecuador, including the science fiction novel by Rod Glenn, The King of America, and the science fiction novel Galápagos by Kurt Vonnegut.

Cuisine

Main article: Cuisine of Ecuador

An Ecuadorian's day, at least as far as his or her diet is concerned, is centred around lunch, rather than dinner as in Western cultures. Sometimes it is the only main dish in their diet.

There is no one food that is especially Ecuadorian, as cuisine varies from region to region of the country. For example, costeños (people from the coast) prefer fish, beans and plantains (unripened banana like fruits), while serranos from the mountainous regions prefer meat, rices and white hominy mote.

Some examples of Ecuadorian cuisine in general include patacones, unripe plantains fried in oil, mashed up and then refried, llapingachos, a pan seared potato ball, and seco de chivo, a type of stew made from goat. More regionalized examples include ceviches from the Coast, which are different from other ceviches and traditionally is served unprepared, as well as almidon breads, plantains served with crushed peanuts or salprieta, and encebollado, the most popular dish in the Coast, that contains a marinade with large chunks of fish, onions and various regional seasonings.

Beef Jerky comes from the word in the ancient incan language in Quechua. "Charqui"

Language

Main article: Languages of Ecuador

Most Ecuadorians speak Spanish, though many speak Amerindian languages such as Kichwa, the Ecuadorian dialect of Quechua. Other Amerindian languages spoken in Ecuador include Awapit (spoken by the Awá), A'ingae (spoken by the Cofan), Shuar Chicham (spoken by the Shuar), Achuar-Shiwiar (spoken by the Achuar and the Shiwiar), Cha'palaachi (spoken by the Chachi), Tsa'fiki (spoken by the Tsáchila), Paicoca (spoken by the Siona and Secoya) and Wao Tededo (spoken by the Waorani).

Though most features of Ecuadorian Spanish are universal in the Spanish-speaking world, there are several idiosyncrasies.

Costeños tend to speak more quickly and louder than serranos, and most of them do so in a very informal way. A common term costeños use to call each other is mijo, a portmanteau of sorts for "my son" (mi hijo). Several such terms originate from their fast speech, and they have intrincate language humor and jokes, difficult to translate or even understand in other regions. Also, each coaprovince has a different variety of accent with specific different terms.

Serranos usually speak softly, and very respectfully. Traditionally they are seen as more conservative, and use a number of Kichwa-originated terms in their everyday speech, often puzzling to other regions. A widely known example is the word guagua, which means child in Kichwa. Their speech comes from their Incan amerindian roots and can be seen as a variation of other Andean accents.

Whistling, yelling or yawning to get someone's attention is considered rude, yet informally done.

Art

• List of Master Ecuadorian painters

Indigenous art of Tigua

The Quichua people of Tigua, located in the central Sierra region, are world renowned for their traditional paintings on sheepskin canvases.^[1] Historically the Tigua people have been known for painting highly decorative masks and drums; painting on flat surfaces is somewhat of a modern occurrence. Today Tigua paintings can be found on sale all over Ecuador, particularly in touristic areas.

Tigua artists are celebrated for their use of vibrant colors and simplistic themes. Most paintings depict scenes of pastoral life, religious ceremonies and festivals. The volcano, Cotopaxi is commonly depicted in the landscape in most paintings as it holds cultural significance in the region.

Literature

Main article: Literature of Ecuador

Ambato, a city in central Ecuador, is known as the "City of the three Juanes", with Juan Montalvo (a novelist and essayist), Juan León Mera (author of the words to Ecuador's national anthem, "Salve, Oh Patria") and Juan Benigno Vela (another novelist and essayist) all sharing it as a place of birth. Other important writers include Eugenio Espejo, from colonial Quito, whose works inspired the fight for freedom from Spain in Ecuador and touched a number of topics, novelist and poet Horacio Hidrovo Velásquez, from early century's Manabí, whose works have inspired films.

Music

Main article: Music of Ecuador

Music is very important in Ecuador, with differences between Coast and Highlands. Generally, pan pipes, flutes of bamboo, violins, drums and charangos all played often, but with different purposes. For instance, in the Sierra popular tunes played at fiestas include "Rosa Maria" and "El Condor Pasa", with sanjuanito being an easily recognizable genre. In the Costa, the instruments are played mostly for cumbia, salsa, and pasillos. Costeños have two kinds of purposes for music, the rhythm-filled one which is played in most places, be it in public like in the bus or in parties, and the slow, moarnful pasillos and rocolas, which are exclusive to old bars. The slow tunes are humoristically known as cortavenísticos ("vein-cutting") because of their overall sadness.

In addition to the numerous native cultures, Ecuador is home to a Mestizo culture, and a sizable Afro-Ecuadorian culture (approximately a half-million), "In the mid-16th century, at least two slave ships from Panama bound for Peru wrecked on the shores of what is now Esmeraldas province. The African slaves established a maroon society (freed slaves), and maintained autonomy during much of the colonial era". [2] Today's Afro-Ecuadorians are famous for their marimba music and dance festivals. Long before the Spanish conquest, and even much before the Inca civilization, the diverse native cultures of the region had rich musical traditions. Ancient flutes, trumpets, drums, and other musical artifacts have been found in tombs. Music was obviously important in the human and supernatural worlds of ancient Andean people.

With the coming of the Spanish conquerors in the 16th century, accompanied by Catholic missionaries and African slaves, additional musical languages were introduced. Today, three principal racial and cultural strains - Indigenous, Spanish, and African - have evolved into distinctive sentimental and great for listening.^[who?]

Clothing

A woman in Ecuadorian dress participating in the 2010 Carnaval del Pueblo

The Panama hat is of Ecuadorian origin, and is known there as "Sombrero de paja toquilla", or a Jipijapa. It is made principally in Montecristi in the Province of Manabí. Its manufacture (particularly that of the Montecristi superfino) is considered a great craft.

Sports

See Sport in Ecuador

Association soccer is the most popular Sport in Ecuador. Information on all other Ecuadorian Sports related articles are below:

• soccer in Ecuador
• Ecuador national football team
• Ecuador women's national football team
• Ecuador national under-20 football team
• Ecuador national baseball team
• Ecuador national cricket team

References

1. ^ http://www.adventure-life.com/articles/ecuadorian-artists-39

External links

• Ecuador people and culture [3]
• Hip ECUADOR [4]
• Ecuador [5]
• Archaeology of Ecuador
• Museum and Virtual Library (Museums of Central Bank of Ecuador) english

See also

• Latin American culture
• Hispanic culture
• Music of Ecuador
• Religion in Ecuador