Country history · South America

History of Ecuador

13 recorded states lay in what is now Ecuador, from the Cañari Confederation (500 CE) to the Republic of Ecuador. 4 of them have a full profile, and 1 outside power ruled here.

ProfileState (capital or seat)4 without a known seat not shownOpen in the atlas →

Profiles

Empires that ruled here

Timeline

6th century

  1. Cañari Confederation500 CE – 1463 CE · tribal confederation

9th century

  1. Caranqui800 CE – 1495 CE · tribal confederation
  2. Manteño-Huancavilca800 CE – 1535 CE · tribal confederation
  3. Puruhá800 CE – 1470 CE · chiefdom
  4. Quitu-Cara800 CE – 1490 CE · chiefdom

15th century

  1. Inca Empire1438 CE – 1533 CE · profile

16th century

  1. Viceroyalty of Peru1542 CE – 1824 CE · profile
  2. Royal Audiencia of Quito1563 CE – 1822 CE · colony

18th century

  1. Viceroyalty of New Granada1717 CE – 1819 CE · colony

19th century

  1. State of Quito1811 CE – 1812 CE · republic
  2. Gran Colombia1819 CE – 1831 CE · profile
  3. Free Province of Guayaquil1820 CE – 1822 CE · republic
  4. Republic of Ecuador1830 CE – present · profile

In the encyclopedia

Shared histories

States that also lay in other present-day countries:

States of South America → All country histories →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). History of Ecuador. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/ecuador
MLA
“History of Ecuador.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/ecuador. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “History of Ecuador.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/ecuador.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘History of Ecuador’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/countries/ecuador (Accessed: ).