Bracamoros (,

Aguaruna Aguaruna may refer to: * Aguaruna people, an ethnic group of Peru * Aguaruna language Aguaruna (or as native speakers prefer to call it, ) is an indigenous American language of the Chicham family spoken by the Aguaruna people in Northern Peru ...

: ''pakamuru'', "painted face"; also written Pacamuros) is a region of numerous extinct tribal groups (which include a tribe of the same name) from the

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

ian and

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

vian

Amazon rainforest The Amazon rainforest, also called the Amazon jungle or Amazonia, is a Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, moist broadleaf tropical rainforest in the Amazon biome that covers most of the Amazon basin of South America. This basin ...

, located in the watershed of the

Zamora River The Zamora River (Spanish: ''Río Zamora'') is a tributary of the Santiago River located in the south-east of Ecuador. Historically, it was known to the Spanish as ''Yaya Mayu'' ("Father River"), from the river's name among a group of Shuar ...

(although it has also been identified as the region of the Chinchipe and

Marañón River The Marañón River (, , ) is the principal or mainstem source of the Amazon River, arising about 160 km (100 miles) to the northeast of Lima, Peru, and flowing northwest across plateaus 3,650 m (12,000 feet) high, it runs through a deeply ero ...

s). The area is now part of the former Ecuadorian province of (today

Zamora-Chinchipe Province Zamora Chinchipe (), Province of Zamora Chinchipe is a province of the Republic of Ecuador, located at the southeastern end of the Amazon Basin, which shares borders with the Ecuadorian provinces of Azuay and Morona Santiago to the north, Loja ...

) and the Peruvian provinces of

San Ignacio San Ignacio (the Spanish language name of St. Ignatius (disambiguation), St. Ignatius) is a common toponym in parts of the world where that language is or was spoken: Argentina * San Ignacio, Argentina, Misiones Province * San Ignacio Miní, a ...

and

Jaén Jaén may refer to: Places Peru *Jaén Province, Peru, a province in Cajamarca Region, Peru ** Jaén District, one of twelve districts of the province Jaén in Peru ***Jaén, Peru, a city in Peru, capital of the Jaén Province Philippines * Jaen ...

, within the

departments Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military * Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

Cajamarca Cajamarca (), also known by the Quechua name, ''Kashamarka'', is the capital and largest city of the Cajamarca Region as well as an important cultural and commercial center in the northern Andes. It is located in the northern highlands of Per ...

and Amazonas.

History

The tribes that once lived in the area were the ''Nehipe'' (also known as the ''Chuquimayo'' or ''Chinchipe''), ''Chirinos'', ''Perico'', ''Pacaraes'', ''Mandinga'', ''Tabancaras'', ''Joroca'', ''Jolluca'', ''Llanqueconi'', ''Tomependa'', ''Chamaya'', ''Bagua'', ''Copallín'', ''Canas de Cacahuari'' (also known as ''Lomas del Viento''), ''Comechingón'', ''Huambucos'' (or ''Huambos''), ''Maracacona'', ''Moqui'', ''Girapaconi'', ''Tamborapa'', and four more at the headwaters of the Chinchipe and by the Marañón's shores. Each group received the name of "province" by the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

. The ''Tabaconas'' and ''Huambos'' have been documented as once belonging to the

Inca Empire The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The History of the Incas, Inca ...

, as

Pedro Cieza de León Pedro Cieza de León ( Llerena, Spain c. 1518 or 1520 – Seville, Spain July 2, 1554) was a Spanish conquistador and chronicler of Peru and Popayán. He is known primarily for his extensive work, ''Crónicas del Perú'' (The Chronicle of Peru), ...

wrote that an

Inca army The Inca army (Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''Inka Awqaqkuna'') was the multi-ethnic armed forces used by the Inca Empire, Tawantin Suyu to expand its empire and defend the sovereignty of the Sapa Inca in its territory. Thanks to the military ...

once unsuccessfully attempted to occupy the area in 1520. A common factor among the tribes was the practice of

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

, with their diet consisting of

corn Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...

yuca ''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although a perennia ...

sweet potato The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its sizeable, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable, which is a staple food in parts of ...

es and porotos. The Spanish arrived to the region in the 16th century, with the first expedition taking place in 1536 under the orders of

Francisco Pizarro Francisco Pizarro, Marquess of the Atabillos (; ; – 26 June 1541) was a Spanish ''conquistador'', best known for his expeditions that led to the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. Born in Trujillo, Cáceres, Trujillo, Spain, to a poor fam ...

. It ended with the establishment of the short-lived town of

Jérez de la Frontera Jerez de la Frontera () or simply Jerez, also cited in old English-language sources as , is a city and municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Located in southwestern Iberia, it lies on the Campi� ...

, near the Pongo de Rentema. It was later refounded with the name of Nueva Jérez de la Frontera, followed by the creation of the settlements of Ávila, Perico and Chirinos. Advancements into the area had already been made from the north and south by the time Jaén was established. Near the Zamora's basin in the northern part of the area, the short-lived town of Bilbao was founded in 1541. Another town known as

Zamora de los Alcaides Zamora may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Europe Spain * Zamora, Spain, a city in the autonomous community of Castilla y León * Province of Zamora, a province in the autonomous community of Castilla y León * Associated with the city and ...

was also established during this time. Once the area had been occupied with settlements, the

governorate A governorate or governate is an administrative division headed by a governor. As English-speaking nations tend to call regions administered by governors either states or provinces, the term ''governorate'' is typically used to calque divisions ...

s of

Bracamoros Bracamoros (, Aguaruna language, Aguaruna: ''pakamuru'', "painted face"; also written Pacamuros) is a region of numerous extinct tribal groups (which include a tribe of the same name) from the Ecuadorian and Peruvian Amazon rainforest, located in ...

and Yahuarzongos were established, eventually merged into the former. From 1549 onwards, the territories were reorganised as ''

encomienda The ''encomienda'' () was a Spanish Labour (human activity), labour system that rewarded Conquistador, conquerors with the labour of conquered non-Christian peoples. In theory, the conquerors provided the labourers with benefits, including mil ...

s'' and distributed among the

Spaniards Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance-speaking ethnic group native to the Iberian Peninsula, primarily associated with the modern nation-state of Spain. Genetically and ethnolinguistically, Spaniards belong to the broader Southern a ...

that took control of the area, with the natives numbered at 20,000 people. By 1606, the number had been reduced to 1,500 due to the effects of forced labour and diseases brought by the Spanish. The last two ''huambucos'' died in the town of

Santa Rosa Santa Rosa is the Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish name for Saint Rose. Santa Rosa may also refer to: Places Argentina *Santa Rosa, Mendoza, a city * Santa Rosa, Tinogasta, Catamarca * Santa Rosa, Valle Viejo, Catamarca *Santa Rosa, La Pampa * S ...

around 1961. In 2009, the remains of a battle between the Incas and Bracamoros were discovered at

Palanda Canton Palanda Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the Zamora-Chinchipe Province. Its capital is the town of . Its population at the 2001 census was 7,066. History This canton has a long history, from the earliest known humans occupation to one o ...

in Ecuador.

Notes

References

{{reflist Amazon rainforest Natural regions of South America

History

See also

Notes

References