Malacato

Malacato was a Palta chiefdom in the Loja highlands of southern Ecuador. Its maize-growing communities occupied the upper Catamayo and Piscobamba valleys, under local curacas and within a loose Palta confederation centered on Cuxibamba.

The Malacatos resisted the conquests of Tupac Inca Yupanqui, who ruled from 1471 to 1493. After the Inca victory their old organization was dismantled; Spanish rule later completed the breakup of the chiefdoms, leaving only a handful of recorded Palta words.