Cañaris

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Before the penetration of the Incas the present area of Cañar province in Ecuador was populated by the brave Cañaris, pleasant but fierce and combative people when he was feeling irresolute. The Inca Tupac Yupanqui knew this feature of his character well to act with them of good in order to obtain his collaboration that in the end allowed him to expand his empire towards the north.

The Inca built the new city of Tumipamba, where his successor Huayna Cápac was born. In this era a real crossbreeding would take place between the invaders cuzqueños and the population cañari. The people cañari has a legendary and mythological past that makes them descend of guacamayes and snakes, animals that appear in his legends and in archaeological remains. One of the versions of the universal deluge belongs to this village. The first settlers were hunters and recollectors. The territory that the Cañaris occupied was bigger than that of the current provinces of Azuay and Cane plantation. The archaeological investigations have discovered interesting testimonies of the culture cañari, especially his art in the ceramics (much changed in art and skill) and in the gold work. In the battle of the throne between Huáscar and Atahualpa as winner on his brother exercised actions of revenge against the cañaris: it decapitated his chiefs and destroyed Tumipamba. During the Spanish conquest the cañaris helped Benalcazar for his march towards the north against Rumiñahui.