﻿Vol.2] 
  TRIBES 
  OF 
  ECUADOR 
  — 
  MURRA 
  813 
  

  

  themselves 
  as 
  the 
  ruling 
  and 
  controlling 
  group 
  and 
  the 
  Indians 
  the 
  

   subject 
  people. 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  desire 
  for 
  upward 
  mobility, 
  the 
  conquerors 
  were 
  

   driven 
  by 
  a 
  strong 
  faith 
  in 
  Christian 
  doctrine 
  and 
  a 
  zealous 
  intent 
  to 
  

   implant 
  it 
  among 
  the 
  heathen. 
  The 
  Christianity 
  which 
  Pizarro, 
  

   Valverde, 
  and 
  their 
  men 
  brought 
  with 
  them, 
  the 
  grim 
  religion 
  of 
  poor, 
  

   landless 
  Andalusian 
  peasants, 
  relied 
  heavily 
  on 
  compliance 
  with 
  the 
  

   outward, 
  explicit 
  ritual, 
  and 
  ignored 
  simultaneously 
  the 
  emphasis 
  on 
  

   the 
  brotherhood 
  of 
  man. 
  Therefore 
  the 
  Catholicism 
  they 
  introduced 
  

   into 
  the 
  Andes, 
  the 
  all-powerful 
  magic 
  of 
  the 
  obviously 
  superior 
  and 
  

   successful 
  conqueror, 
  spread 
  among 
  the 
  Indians 
  a 
  thin 
  veneer 
  of 
  formal 
  

   practices 
  coexisting 
  everywhere 
  with 
  native 
  ritual 
  and 
  belief. 
  Feudal 
  

   White 
  super 
  ordination 
  and 
  Catholicism 
  were 
  the 
  bases 
  of 
  the 
  new 
  

   civilization. 
  

  

  The 
  Conquest 
  had 
  disturbed 
  native 
  organization, 
  and 
  the 
  first 
  steps 
  

   taken 
  by 
  the 
  conquerors 
  were 
  to 
  reintroduce 
  a 
  semblance 
  of 
  order. 
  

   Spanish 
  towns 
  were 
  founded, 
  and 
  by 
  June 
  1535, 
  lands 
  were 
  assigned 
  

   to 
  various 
  settlers 
  by 
  Sebastian 
  de 
  Benalcazar. 
  

  

  Spanish 
  settlement 
  proceeded 
  very 
  rapidly, 
  and 
  soon 
  the 
  whole 
  

   country 
  and 
  the 
  population 
  were 
  theoretically 
  divided 
  among 
  the 
  

   conquerors. 
  By 
  1548 
  the 
  crown 
  had 
  difficulty 
  finding 
  Indians 
  to 
  

   build 
  a 
  royal 
  house, 
  and 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  Cieza, 
  discussing 
  the 
  

   situation 
  in 
  Pasto 
  country, 
  says 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  lower, 
  fertile 
  valleys 
  were 
  

   taken 
  over 
  by 
  Christians, 
  while 
  a 
  numerous 
  population 
  had 
  withdrawn 
  

   to 
  the 
  mountains. 
  In 
  general, 
  the 
  Indians 
  resisted 
  Spanish 
  settlement 
  

   and 
  spoliation. 
  Indian 
  chiefs 
  were 
  executed 
  for 
  refusing 
  to 
  disclose 
  

   the 
  sacred 
  hiding 
  places 
  of 
  ceremonial 
  gold 
  objects, 
  and 
  many 
  revolts 
  

   were 
  drowned 
  in 
  blood, 
  but 
  usually 
  the 
  natives 
  withdrew 
  from 
  the 
  

   favorable 
  lands 
  occupied 
  by 
  the 
  Spaniards 
  into 
  the 
  bleak 
  paramos 
  of 
  

   the 
  Andean 
  Plateau 
  or 
  down 
  into 
  the 
  Tropical 
  Forest. 
  

  

  The 
  occupation 
  of 
  Indian 
  lands 
  by 
  the 
  Spaniards 
  took 
  many 
  forms, 
  

   but 
  the 
  most 
  common, 
  here 
  as 
  elsewhere 
  in 
  the 
  Empire, 
  was 
  the 
  enco- 
  

   mienda. 
  Spanish 
  law 
  assumed 
  that 
  the 
  newly 
  conquered 
  lands 
  

   belonged 
  to 
  the 
  Crown 
  and 
  could 
  be 
  given 
  away 
  by 
  the 
  King 
  or 
  his 
  

   representatives. 
  Thus, 
  the 
  Crown 
  granted 
  the 
  land 
  and 
  its 
  inhabi- 
  

   tants 
  and 
  resources 
  in 
  gratitude 
  for 
  past 
  services 
  to 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  men 
  

   who 
  participated 
  in 
  the 
  Conquest. 
  The 
  beneficiary 
  and 
  his 
  son 
  had 
  

   in 
  usufruct, 
  for 
  the 
  duration 
  of 
  their 
  two 
  lives, 
  the 
  land 
  and 
  its 
  produce 
  

   through 
  a 
  tribute 
  in 
  cash 
  and 
  kind 
  which 
  every 
  able-bodied 
  male 
  

   member 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  community 
  had 
  to 
  pay. 
  In 
  exchange, 
  the 
  

   encomendero 
  took 
  care 
  of 
  the 
  spiritual 
  welfare 
  of 
  his 
  charges 
  and 
  saw 
  

   to 
  it 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  properly 
  baptized 
  and 
  indoctrinated. 
  The 
  

   encomendero 
  also 
  had 
  the 
  obligation 
  of 
  defending 
  the 
  new 
  country 
  

   against 
  attack 
  and, 
  to 
  that 
  end, 
  of 
  keeping 
  arms 
  and 
  horses 
  in 
  readi- 
  

  

  