Quijos

The Quijos country lies on the eastern slopes of the Ecuadorian Andes, where mountain rivers descend into the upper Amazon. Its inhabitants lived among forested valleys and maintained connections across the mountains. Spanish attempts to establish towns and demand labour brought the region into a turbulent colonial frontier, governed from Baeza and linked to the highland authorities at Quito.

In 1578 Indigenous leaders including Jumandy organised a rising against Spanish rule. Their followers attacked Ávila and Archidona, but an assault on Baeza failed. The authorities in Quito sent help, and Jumandy and other leaders were captured and executed. The revolt exposed the depth of resistance to colonial demands in the upper Amazon, even as the Spanish retained their foothold at Baeza.