Guancavilca

The Guancavilca inhabited the coast of present-day Ecuador, from Puná Island and Guayaquil to Santa Elena and southern Manabí. Their pre-Columbian culture lasted until about 1530.

Guancavilca artisans worked copper into tools and axe-shaped currency, while Spondylus shells also served as objects of exchange. The Italian traveler Girolamo Benzoni described their coastal country after visiting the region in 1547—1550.