﻿46 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  B. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  ECUADOR 
  

   THE 
  ENVIRONMENT 
  

  

  The 
  country 
  of 
  Ecuador 
  can 
  be 
  described 
  in 
  terms 
  of 
  three 
  major 
  

   topographical 
  zones. 
  The 
  west 
  Coast 
  plain, 
  broken 
  by 
  low 
  hills, 
  

   varies 
  from 
  tropical 
  rain 
  forests 
  in 
  the 
  north 
  to 
  arid 
  conditions 
  in 
  

   the 
  south. 
  The 
  Highlands 
  are 
  composed 
  of 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  intermont 
  

   basins 
  flanked 
  on 
  both 
  sides 
  by 
  high 
  mountain 
  ranges. 
  The 
  eastern 
  

   plains 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  Amazon 
  drainage, 
  and 
  the 
  Indian 
  cultures 
  of 
  

   this 
  section 
  belong 
  properly 
  with 
  the 
  lowlands 
  (the 
  Montana, 
  Hand- 
  

   book, 
  vol. 
  3), 
  rather 
  than 
  the 
  Highland 
  division. 
  Ecuador 
  lies 
  strate- 
  

   gically 
  between 
  the 
  centers 
  of 
  high 
  civilization 
  in 
  the 
  Central 
  Andes 
  

   of 
  Peru 
  and 
  the 
  Northern 
  Andes 
  of 
  Colombia. 
  Through 
  both 
  archeo- 
  

   logical 
  and 
  historical 
  evidence, 
  the 
  Indian 
  cultures 
  of 
  Ecuador 
  show 
  

   the 
  effect 
  of 
  this 
  intermediate 
  position. 
  Ultimately, 
  large 
  parts 
  of 
  

   Ecuador 
  were 
  actually 
  incorporated 
  in 
  the 
  Inca 
  Empire. 
  

  

  The 
  two 
  parallel 
  ranges 
  of 
  the 
  Ecuadorian 
  Andes 
  are 
  separated 
  

   by 
  a 
  rift 
  valley 
  in 
  which 
  lie 
  10 
  intermont 
  basins 
  from 
  7,000 
  to 
  10,000 
  

   feet 
  (2,100 
  to 
  3,000 
  m.) 
  in 
  altitude, 
  arranged 
  roughly 
  in 
  a 
  row 
  from 
  

   north 
  to 
  south. 
  In 
  the 
  mountains 
  are 
  some 
  30 
  active 
  volcanos 
  which 
  

   have 
  filled 
  the 
  valley 
  and 
  the 
  basins 
  with 
  a 
  volcanic 
  ash 
  which 
  forms 
  

   a 
  porous 
  soil 
  and 
  one 
  subject 
  to 
  severe 
  erosion. 
  Although 
  the 
  forest 
  

   limit 
  is 
  around 
  10,000 
  feet 
  (about 
  3,000 
  m.) 
  in 
  Ecuador, 
  the 
  intermont 
  

   basins 
  were 
  originally 
  covered 
  largely 
  by 
  brush. 
  However, 
  the 
  origi- 
  

   nal 
  vegetation 
  has 
  been 
  greatly 
  changed 
  by 
  centuries 
  of 
  occupation, 
  

   burning 
  brush 
  for 
  charcoal, 
  and 
  clearing 
  fields 
  for 
  planting. 
  

  

  James 
  (1942, 
  pp. 
  127-29) 
  gives 
  a 
  brief 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  

   intermont 
  basins. 
  The 
  northernmost, 
  Tulcan, 
  is 
  on 
  the 
  Colombia- 
  

   Ecuador 
  border, 
  and, 
  although 
  well 
  drained, 
  its 
  altitude 
  of 
  9,500 
  feet 
  

   (about 
  2,900 
  m.) 
  is 
  too 
  high 
  for 
  many 
  crops. 
  The 
  basin 
  of 
  Ibarra 
  

   has 
  an 
  altitude 
  of 
  7,000 
  to 
  8,000 
  feet 
  (about 
  2,100 
  to 
  2,400 
  m.), 
  

   but 
  it 
  is 
  badly 
  eroded. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  deep 
  valley 
  bottoms 
  are 
  but 
  

   2,500 
  feet 
  (about 
  760 
  m.) 
  in 
  altitude 
  and 
  are 
  utilized 
  today 
  for 
  sugar- 
  

   cane 
  and 
  cotton. 
  The 
  Quito 
  Basin, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  capital 
  of 
  Ecuador 
  

   is 
  situated, 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  richest 
  in 
  agriculture, 
  but 
  its 
  neighbor, 
  Lata- 
  

   cunga, 
  is 
  again 
  dry 
  and 
  badly 
  eroded. 
  Biobamba 
  is 
  filled 
  with 
  a 
  

   porous 
  ash 
  which 
  makes 
  cultivation 
  difficult. 
  Alausi 
  Basin, 
  in 
  reality 
  

   a 
  river 
  flat, 
  lies 
  largely 
  below 
  8,000 
  feet 
  (about 
  2,400 
  m.), 
  and 
  is 
  in- 
  

   tensively 
  cultivated. 
  The 
  large 
  basin 
  of 
  Cuenca 
  is, 
  like 
  Quito, 
  one 
  

   of 
  the 
  most 
  productive 
  and 
  most 
  extensively 
  occupied 
  today. 
  The 
  

   three 
  remaining 
  basins 
  in 
  the 
  south 
  are 
  Ona, 
  Loja, 
  and 
  Zaruma. 
  All 
  

   of 
  these 
  are 
  widened 
  flats 
  of 
  river 
  valleys 
  with 
  rich 
  soils. 
  

  

  The 
  archeological 
  remains 
  show 
  the 
  importance 
  of 
  many 
  of 
  these 
  

   basins 
  as 
  centers 
  of 
  cultural 
  development. 
  At 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  Inca 
  

   Empire, 
  many 
  tribal 
  names 
  were 
  recognized 
  in 
  the 
  Highlands 
  of 
  

  

  