The Post-Colonial Racial and Social Structure of Ecuador

Introduction

Colonialism created and structured the countries of Spanish America. It sorted them into different positions in the world hierarchy of development and arranged its social formations. Ecuador's Post-Colonial Racial and Social Structure reflects this phenomenon through its history, racialization, ethnic terminology, mestizo racism, geographical and demographical organization, and biopolitcs.

Colonial History and Racialization

In 16th and 17th century over half a million passengers were carried from Spain to the New World during Habsburg phase of colonialism. The travelers came from different class and estate origins. These included educated bureaucrats, merchants, ecclesiastics, artisans, pesants, major and marginal hidalgos, and sailors and servants. A new society was created based on the integration of peoples from various cultures, ethnicities, and traditions. As Ecuadorian society became more developed, a social pyramid emerged and stratified based on the social construction of race. The pyramid consisted mainly of:

• The Spaniards - The top of social pyramid who had the most political and economic control of the country.

• Creoles - The children of Spaniards born in Ecuador who owned lands, factories, and trading companies.

• Mestizos - The children of mixed European and Indigenous descent.

• Indigenous Peoples/ Afro Ecuadorians - The bottom of the social pyramid who where often slaves.

Contemporary Ethnic Terminology and Mestizo Racism

The social pyramid of the colonialist period has morphed and become more stratified in a new socially constructed classification system that denies race as a limiting factor. The mestizo population became divided and a new class of elites emerged in the cities of Ecuador known as "white mestizos". These new elites hold the majority of the political and economic power of the country and are seen to have the closest European racial heritage.

In this new social structure, skin colour determines your place in the social pyramid. Therefore, the lighter your skin colour, the higher you stand in Ecuadorian society. This stratification system is very prominent but is often denied under the all-inclusive mestisaje rhetoric .This is disadvantegeous to longos and cholos who are also considered mestizos, but often suffer from discrimination due to their darker skin colour. Cholos and longos have not become institutionalized ethnic groups and are more threatening to the status quo.

However, there are also other recognized ethnic groups such as afroecuadorians, montubios, mulattos, and many indigenous communities. Afroecuadorians are the descendants of African slaves who migrated into South American during the colonialist period. Mulattos are perceived to be a "mix" between European and African ancestry. Montubios are considered to be a combination of European, Indigenous, and African descent. Finally, there are several ethnic groups within indigenous peoples including the: Shuar, Achuar, Huaorani, Siona, Secoya, Zápara, Shiwiar, and Cofán. All these populations suffer a great deal of discrimination. They have not simply been a marginal group in Ecuadorian society, but have been almost invisible.

According to Ecuador’s 2004 “Racism and Discrimination Survey” 62 percent of Ecuadorians believe there is racism in the country, although only 10 percent consider themselves openly racist, with whites the most racist (14 percent) and afroecuadorians the least (5 percent). The failure to acknowledge the impact that racism has is a huge problem for anti-discrimination policies that is prominent in Ecuadorian society.

Geographical and Demographical Organization

Ecuadorian Regions

Ecuador is divided into four regions:

• Costa
• Sierra
• Amazonía
• Galapagos

The demography of these geographical regions is based on its colonial legacy. The most commercial, political, technological, and intellectually developed areas of the country are concentrated in the three main cities: Quito, Guayaquil, and Cuenca. This is due to the fact that these areas were the most heavily populated with Spaniards and Creoles(the high class) in the colonialist period. Two of these three main cities lay in the Sierra, and the undeniable impact of colonialism can be seen in infrastructure and in the racial demography. The majority of the population in the Sierra are "white mestizos", cholos, and longos who are all descendants of the colonial mestizo population.

Meanwhile, in the rural areas of Ecuador, the legacy of the oppression and abuse provoked by colonialism is still present. In the Costa many slave plantations and enormous haciendas dominated the region. The legacy of these haciendas is still present through banana and cocoa plantations and through poverty struck villages. Also, the majority of the population in this region are afroecuadorian, montubios, and mulattos. The Amazonía is home to ancestral indigenous populations where natural reserves have made it possible for these nations to preserve their cultural identity and heritage.

Biopolitics in Ecuador

Although many efforts have been made to understand and address the marginalization of various ethnic/cultural communities since 1988, it is still very prominent in Ecuadorian society. Print.</ref>Article 56 of the 2008 reformed Constitution states that “Indigenous communities,peoples [pueblos] and nationalities Afroecuadorian people, Montubio people, and the comunas are part of the Ecuadorian State". The Pachakutik Plurinational Unity Movement emerged as a left wing indigenist party in Ecuador. It was founded in January 1996 to advocate for indigenous rights in Ecuadorian contemporary politics and currently holds five seats in the National Assembly.

However, in recent years the current president Rafael Correa, has violated constitutional rights of indigenous peoples by exploiting areas such as the Yasuni National Park for oil and mining purposes. This demonstrates the perpetuating colonial legacy that indigenous peoples endure by constantly having to give up their lands cohersively when the greater power demands it and the failure of the state to defend its peoples inalienable rights.