Note 9 — BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES
Reading edition
Quito. Until the beginning of the sixteenth century the present republic of Ecuador was the kingdom of Quito, ruled over by the Incas. After Pizarro’s conquest in 1533 it became the Audiencia of Quito, subject to the rule of the Viceroy of Peru. Ecuador was the last South American country to obtain its independence from Spain. From 1810 to 1822, when the Spaniards were defeated at the battle of Pichincha, it was the scene of much ruthless and fierce fighting.