Ecuador

Discover Ecuador

Fun Foods

Llapingachos, Churrasco, Helado de paila

This country is named after an invisible line. The equator runs right through Ecuador, and they liked it so much they made it their whole identity. You can literally stand with one foot in each hemisphere.

But people lived here long before anyone drew lines on maps. Indigenous groups settled these lands over 10,000 years ago. The Inca Empire conquered the region in the late 1400s and built roads, temples, and the city of Quito.

Spanish conquistadors arrived in 1534. Francisco Pizarro's forces defeated the Inca and claimed everything for Spain. They forced indigenous people into labor and brought diseases that killed millions.

Ecuador remained a Spanish colony for nearly 300 years.

Independence came in 1822 after the Battle of Pichincha. Simón Bolívar's forces won, and Ecuador briefly joined Gran Colombia. That union fell apart by 1830, and Ecuador became its own country.

The 20th century brought oil, instability, and more presidents than anyone could count. In 2000, economic chaos got so bad that Ecuador ditched its own currency and started using the US dollar.

Then in 2008, Ecuador did something no country had ever done. It gave nature constitutional rights. Rivers, forests, and ecosystems can now sue in court.

Today Ecuador packs more diversity into a small space than almost anywhere on Earth.

The Galápagos Islands sit 600 miles offshore with giant tortoises, blue-footed boobies, and marine iguanas that swim. The animals aren't afraid of you. 

Quito sits 9,350 feet above sea level, making it one of the highest capitals in the world. Cotopaxi is an active volcano you can actually climb, if your lungs can handle the altitude.

Ceviche here comes with popcorn and toasted corn on the side. It sounds weird until you try it. Llapingachos are crispy potato patties stuffed with cheese. Kids inhale them. Encebollado is fish soup that Ecuadorians swear cures hangovers.

Año Viejo on New Year's Eve gets wild. Families build life-sized puppets of politicians, celebrities, or bad memories, then burn them at midnight. The old year goes up in flames. The new one starts fresh.