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Ecuador Ethnicity & Culture
(page 9 of 9)
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Euro-Ecuadorians & Mestizos
The New World was conquered by people of European descent in the 16th
Century.
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With the Conquerors came the venerable (or ominous, depending
on your point of view) "guns, germs and steel" and the Abrahamic
desert religions, both of which were instrumental in the subjugation
of the local people. Almost immediately after their arrival, the mixing
of "white" blood and indigenous blood began. Today, "pure
blooded" Euro-Americans, a distinct minority in Ecuador, wield
an inordinate amount of the economic power. Mestizos (people of mixed
blood), who come in every shape, size and color, are the majority
of the Ecuadorian population and hence hold the political power. Mestizos
also form Ecuador's vast "middle class."
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