Academic Art and Cultural Exhibitions Project

Ecuador, Spanish for "Equator" was first inhabited by the Incas in 1526, but the first settlements of Spanish in this area were in 1534 and 1538, by explorer Francisco Pizarro, a Spanish conquistador.

Ecuador is a country in western South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator
 with a wide range of natural formations and climates, from the desert-like southern coast to the snowcapped peaks of the Andes mountain range to the plains of the Amazon Basin 

The flag retains the three main colors of the banner of Gran Columbia, the South American republic that broke up in the 1830s. The yellow color represents sunshine, grain and mineral wealth, the blue represents the sky, sea and rivers and the read represents the blood of patriots spilled in the struggle for freedom and justice.

Hilda Vasquez (4/29/1932 - 6/10/2012)

This is my grandmother Hilda Vasquez, she was born and raised in Ecuador during the 1930's. She raised in the capital Quito and her father was a man from the military. All my grandmothers' stories were about Ecuador and how the time period was back then. Back in the 1930's the women stayed home and become housewives, as well as the daughters. When it came to education my grandmother was taken out of school at a very young age to learn how to clean, cook and sew at home with her while her brothers went off to college and the military. During that time period everyones mindset was very "old school", men went to work and women stayed home. Over time education became more important and more enforced. When I was born my grandma became very on top of my education, she wanted me to do my best so I could get into a great college and have a successful career.