Movimientos indígenas en los Andes ecuatorianos en el siglo XX

Abstract

The article analyses the factors that caused indigenous local rebellions in Ecuador, taking place during the first half of twentieth century, to coalesce into a powerful and organised social movement on a national scale. The key factor was a process of capitalist modernization, which detached ethnicity from the traditional hacienda system, encouraged migration, and promoted the learning of Castilian (Spanish) language. As a result, an indigenous intelligentsia adopted a distinctive ethnic identity. They were accompanied by left-wing political organizations and activist sectors within the Catholic Church.