Ecuador Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Ecuador appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 5 different states, among them Ecuador, Viceroyalty of Peru, Viceroyalty of New Granada, Inca Empire, Andean states and chiefdoms.
EcuadorExplore the history of Ecuador in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · Ecuador as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of Ecuador, map by map
Share of sample points inside today's borders held by each state on each map. Areas with no organised state on the map are left out.
| Map | Main states on this land |
|---|---|
| 1300 | Andean states and chiefdoms 4% |
| 1400 | Andean states and chiefdoms 4% |
| 1500 | Inca Empire 94% |
| 1600 | Viceroyalty of Peru 100% |
| 1650 | Viceroyalty of Peru 100% |
| 1700 | Viceroyalty of Peru 100% |
| 1783 | Viceroyalty of New Granada 100% |
| 1800 | Viceroyalty of New Granada 100% |
| 1815 | Viceroyalty of New Granada 100% |
| 1880 | Ecuador 100% |
| 1900 | Ecuador 100% |
| 1914 | Ecuador 100% |
| 1920 | Ecuador 100% |
| 1930 | Ecuador 100% |
| 1938 | Ecuador 100% |
| 1945 | Ecuador 100% |
| 1960 | Ecuador 100% |
| 1994 | Ecuador 100% |
| 2010 | Ecuador 100% |
Historic cities in Ecuador
Famous people of Ecuador
| Lived | Person | |
|---|---|---|
| c. 1502 – 1533 | Atahualpa | Sapa Inca |
| 1783 – 1830 | Simón Bolívar | Liberator of South America |
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Ecuador?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Ecuador belonged to Ecuador, Viceroyalty of Peru, Viceroyalty of New Granada, Inca Empire, Andean states and chiefdoms.
What was Ecuador part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Ecuador lay within Inca Empire.
What was Ecuador part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Ecuador lay within Ecuador.
Further reading
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.