Two long-term projects over the past four decades have focused on the archeology of the western flank of the Andes in Pichincha province, west of Quito. With 300 sites catalogued and 4 sites excavated, we have obtained much information spanning the past 7,000 years, but most research has focused on the Yumbo occupation beginning around 800 C.E. and ending soon after the Spanish conquest. Fieldwork has also uncovered vital information about the Inca expansion into this tropical forest region. A summary of the archaeology is augmented with a proposed linguistic model for Yumbo origins, migrations and near extinction. Finally, there is discussion of a planned encounter and ceremonies that took place among Yumbo descendants, the archaeology team, and community members.
Dr. Ronald Lippi
Professor Emeritus of Anthropology and Honorary Anthropology Fellow, University of Wisconsin