﻿Vol.2] 
  TRIBES 
  OF 
  ECUADOR 
  — 
  MURRA 
  817 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  mining, 
  textile 
  production 
  in 
  obrajes 
  or 
  cloth 
  factories 
  

   became 
  an 
  important 
  activity 
  in 
  Panzaleo 
  and 
  Puruhd 
  territories. 
  

   Some 
  of 
  the 
  obrajes 
  belonged 
  to 
  the 
  Indian 
  communities, 
  and 
  their 
  

   produce 
  was 
  used 
  to 
  clothe 
  the 
  population 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  to 
  pay 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  tribute. 
  The 
  Indian 
  community 
  at 
  Latacunga 
  owned 
  a 
  large 
  

   shop 
  where 
  a 
  whole 
  piece 
  of 
  cloth 
  (one 
  man's 
  annual 
  tribute) 
  could 
  

   be 
  turned 
  out 
  in 
  a 
  day. 
  Most 
  obrajes 
  were 
  owned 
  by 
  Whites, 
  who 
  

   used 
  Indians 
  and 
  Negro 
  slaves 
  to 
  produce 
  wool 
  and 
  cotton 
  cloth 
  under 
  

   conditions 
  not 
  propitious 
  to 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  Indian 
  life, 
  as 
  the 
  

   weavers 
  were 
  rarely 
  allowed 
  to 
  return 
  to 
  their 
  settlements. 
  

  

  Native 
  trade 
  increased 
  in 
  importance 
  during 
  the 
  Colonial 
  Period. 
  

   While 
  most 
  contacts 
  between 
  Highland 
  and 
  lowland 
  tribes 
  diminished 
  

   in 
  intensity, 
  certain 
  trade 
  routes 
  were 
  developed, 
  particularly 
  that 
  fol- 
  

   lowing 
  the 
  Chanchan 
  Valley. 
  Salt, 
  fish, 
  and 
  cotton 
  were 
  lowland 
  

   commodities 
  always 
  in 
  demand 
  in 
  the 
  Highland, 
  and 
  cabuya 
  fiber, 
  

   hogs, 
  and 
  other 
  mountain 
  products 
  went 
  west 
  in 
  exchange. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  Coast, 
  Spanish 
  settlement 
  was 
  less 
  intensive 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  

   tropical 
  climate, 
  and 
  because 
  it 
  met 
  with 
  more 
  successful 
  opposition 
  

   by 
  the 
  natives. 
  By 
  1582, 
  the 
  Manta 
  and 
  Huancavilca 
  were 
  decreasing 
  

   at 
  such 
  rapid 
  rate 
  that 
  a 
  "conservation" 
  program 
  was 
  being 
  advocated. 
  

   For 
  a 
  time, 
  Highland 
  Indians 
  were 
  brought 
  down 
  to 
  work 
  on 
  olive 
  

   fields 
  and 
  vineyards, 
  but 
  these 
  crops 
  were 
  unsuccessful 
  and 
  the 
  High- 
  

   landers 
  could 
  not 
  adapt 
  to 
  the 
  tropical 
  sun. 
  Native 
  organization 
  

   was 
  completely 
  smashed 
  on 
  the 
  Coast, 
  and 
  today 
  there 
  are 
  no 
  Indians 
  

   west 
  of 
  the 
  Andes, 
  except 
  small 
  bands 
  of 
  Cayapa 
  and 
  Colorado, 
  who 
  

   live 
  in 
  the 
  forests 
  on 
  the 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  mountains. 
  

  

  In 
  Esmeraldas, 
  the 
  Spaniards' 
  attempts 
  to 
  people 
  the 
  area 
  were 
  

   particularly 
  unsuccessful. 
  Very 
  soon 
  after 
  the 
  Conquest, 
  the 
  area 
  

   became 
  a 
  refuge 
  for 
  various 
  Highland 
  Indian 
  groups 
  escaping 
  perse- 
  

   cution 
  and 
  for 
  Negroes 
  revolting 
  against 
  slavery. 
  In 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  Conquest, 
  a 
  group 
  of 
  slaves 
  had 
  escaped 
  from 
  a 
  slave 
  ship 
  and 
  

   settled 
  in 
  the 
  area. 
  They 
  mixed 
  with 
  the 
  Indians 
  and 
  soon 
  controlled 
  

   a 
  large 
  part 
  of 
  Esmeraldas. 
  After 
  several 
  unsuccessful 
  punitive 
  expe- 
  

   ditions, 
  the 
  Spanish 
  authorities 
  and 
  the 
  Church 
  accepted 
  the 
  de 
  facto 
  

   situation 
  and 
  recognized 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  slaves, 
  Illescas, 
  as 
  ruler 
  of 
  the 
  

   area. 
  Contemporary 
  chroniclers 
  speak 
  of 
  the 
  inhabitants 
  of 
  north- 
  

   west 
  Ecuador 
  as 
  wild 
  mulattoes 
  and 
  sambos, 
  knowing 
  no 
  law 
  and 
  

   waging 
  war 
  at 
  the 
  slightest 
  provocation. 
  

  

  The 
  population 
  of 
  the 
  Coastal 
  areas 
  became 
  known 
  as 
  montuvios. 
  

   Racially, 
  they 
  are 
  a 
  blend 
  of 
  White, 
  Negro, 
  and 
  Indian 
  genes 
  in 
  vari- 
  

   ous 
  proportions, 
  with 
  the 
  Negro 
  dominant 
  in 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  the 
  Indian 
  

   in 
  the 
  south. 
  Culturally, 
  the 
  montuvio 
  has 
  been 
  historically 
  an 
  Ecua- 
  

   dorean, 
  meaning 
  a 
  non-Indian 
  farmer 
  cultivating 
  rice, 
  maize, 
  beans, 
  

   and 
  pineapples, 
  and 
  working 
  on 
  large 
  cacao, 
  indigo, 
  and 
  rubber 
  

   plantations. 
  

  

  