ETHNOHISTORICAL APPROACHES ON THE WANKAVILKAS OF SOUTHERN SAINT HELENA BETWEEN THE SIXTEENTH AND NINETEENTH CENTURIES

Abstract

The purpose of the research prior to this article was to analyze the ethnohistorical approximations of the Wankavilkas people in southern Santa Elena, Ecuador, between the 16th and 19th centuries. The importance of the study of indigenous history lies in the fact that it is a fundamental approach to understanding the contemporary history of these populations. From the interpretative paradigm and historical research methodology, based on a rigorous review and analysis of sources, the relevance of the native cultures of these populations was determined. The historical tour helps to understand the way in which the 18th-century cartography of New Granada shows the villages of El Pichan and Bahía de Arenas, both located between Chanduy and Morro. These sites are also likely to be the current municipalities of Engabao and the city of Playas. This concludes that from the sixteenth century to the nineteenth century, new ancestral peoples are located south of Santa Elena, which is a contribution to the Ecuadorian culture and the region.