TABLE OF CONTENTS Page The Centenary of the Republic of Ecuador_ 765 By Dr. Homero Viteri Lafronte, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Pleni|)otentiary of Ecuador in the United States. Governing Board Welcomes the President Elect of Brazil, Dr. Julio Prestes. 821 The New Minister of Haiti, M. Ulrich Duvivier___ 829 Program of the Inter-American Conference on Agriculture, Forestry, and Animal Industry_ 831 Mexico’s Third Highway Congress Foresees Vast Developments... 833 By Wallace Thomp.son, Editor of Ingenitria Internadonal. Pan American Union Notes_ 839 Treaties and International Relations_ 849 Cuba-Pan American Republics—Guatemala-nonduras—Mexico-Panama. Legislation_ 849 Colombia—Mexico. Agriculture_ 850 Brazil—Chile—Colombia—Costa Rica—Mexico—Nicaragua—Uruguay. Finance, Industry, and Commerce_ 853 Argentina—Brazil—Chile —Colombia—Dominican Republic—Guatemala —Haiti— Honduras—Nicaragua—Panama—Paraguay—Peru—Uruguay—Venezuela. Population, Migration, and Labor_ 862 Brazil—Colombia—Mexico. Education and Fine Arts_ 863 Argentina—Bolivia—Chile—Costa Rica—Cuba — El Salvador—Honduras —Peru — Venezuela. Public Health and Social Welfare_ 867 Argentina—Ecuador—Colombia—(’osta Rica—Cuba—El Salvador—Haiti—Uruguay. Feminism_ 870 Argentina—Cuba. Subject Matter of Consular Reports_ 871 111 VoL. LXIV august, 1930 No. 8 THE CENTENARY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ECUADOR' By Dr. Homero Viteri Lafronte Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Ecuador in the United States 1 GEOGRAPHICAL CHARACTERISTICS The great Andine cordillera which traverses the full length of South America passes through Ecuador in two lofty and majestic chains, known respectively as the eastern and western cordilleras. These two famous mountain ranges, so imposing with their great masses, lofty snow-covered peaks, and awe-inspiring volcanoes, run practically parallel to each other and to the Pacific coast. At various places, however, the distance between the two is considerably less than usual, leaving in the center a narrow pass or elevated plateau crossed from time to time by a number of lesser or transverse ranges uniting the eastern and western cordilleras and forming what has been described as a Cyclopean stairway. The principal inter-Andine ranges, the colossal steps of this gigantic stair, are nine in number. Within the inter-Andine valley there are numerous basins formed by the transverse ranges of the two main cordilleras. Their general aspect varies greatly, owing to the unusual and surprising effects produced by the unevenness of the terrain and the diversity of geographical conditions. Each basin has its own river system, whose main stream breaks through one or the other of the cordilleras to empty into the Pacific or the Amazon as the case may be. Of these rivers, the Pacific receives the waters of the Guaitara from the Pasto Basin, which is largely Colombian; the Mira from the Ibarra Basin, the Guaillabamba from the Quito Basin, the Chimbo from the Chimbo Basin, the Chanchan from the Alausf Basin, the Canar ‘The Hi'lletin is indebted to the distinguished author of this article for the numerous interesting diustrations with the exception of the frontispiece and those on pages 766, 781, 785, and 801. 766 TllK ECTADOKKAX ANDES The artimlation of the Antles in Ecuador, after Wolf. Inter-.\ndean transverse ranges; I.—Cajanuma: II.—.\cayana and Ouagrii-uma; III.—Portete and Tinajillas: IV.—.\niay; V.—Ticwajas; VI.—Sanancajas and Igualata; VII.—TiupuIIo; VIII.—Alojanda and Cajas; IX.—.Vitos de Roliche. P THE CENTENARY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ECUADOR 767 from the Canar Basin, the Jnhones from the Jiibones Basin,the Tnmbez from the Zarunia Basin and the Catamayo from the Ijoja Basin. The Pastaza River from the Lataeuntja, Ainhato, and Riobamha Basin, the Paute from the Cuenca Basin, and the Zamora from the Loja Basin, on the other hand, break through the eastern cordillera and empty into the Amazon. Besides the gorges and other openings carved in the cordilleras by the inter-Andine rivers, there are also various depressions or passes which facilitate access to the various regions into which the territory of E<‘ua<lor is geographically divided. The principal passes in the eastern cordillera are the Guamanf, which joins the Quito Basin with the upper Napo, the Colay, which facilitates communication between the Riobamba Basin and the upper Upano, and the Portado, which connects the Cuenca Valley and the upper Santiago. Those in the western cordillera are the Paguangalli, between the Quito Basin and the source of the Esmeraldas River, the Huinzha and Lozan which unite the Latacunga and Ambato Basin with the sources of the Esmeraldas and Vinces Rivers, and the Cajas, which connects the Cuenca Basin and the Pacific littoral. The two Andine cordilleras in Ecuador are quite unlike; the eastern, or princijial, chain is loftier and more regular. The learned geographer Wolf adds that this unlikeness is not based solely on their exterior and purely geographic aspect, as their geological formation is also different. The same scientist estimates the average altitude of the Ecuadorean .Vndes at 3,500 meters, that of the inhabited inter-Andine region at 2,500 meters, and the height of Chimborazo at 6,200 meters, although Sinclair declares this peak to be 20,576 feet. The Andes, in fact, divide Ecuador into three regions, each of which is well-<lefined and easily distinguishable from the others. These are the cis-Andine or littoral, the inter-Andine or sierra, and the trans- Andine or eastern. The first includes the territory between the Pacific and the western cordillera, the second the region between the two ranges, and the third that lying to the east of the mountains. The littoral may be subdivided into two sections; One, entirely level, situated along the seacoast; the other, formed by the base of the cordillera as it slopes down to merge into the coastal plain. Its soil, in general, is well-watered, and fine rivers and magnificent forests are to be found along practically its whole length. The physical appearance of the Andine region is unusually varied and presents the most surprising contrasts. While the sierra enjoys a temperate climate in some sections, it is cold in others. In the more elevated regions of the high plateau, says Gonzalez Suarez, the wind blows continuously and the prevailing temperature is low. The valleys, on the other hand, are sheltered, and in some the heat is almost suffo¬ cating. In general, it may be said that every possible temperature 768 THE PAX AMEKICAN UNION from the penetrating chill of the upper paramos to the stifling heat of the deep valleys may be found in this region. Likewise the inter-Andine terrain presents many aspects. It is characterized hy extensive plains, wide valleys, deep ravines and steep hills, here a mantle of pleasant green restful to the eye, there stark hillocks one after the other. The panorama varies at every step, and quite justly do visitors from other countries assert that it is difficult to find anywhere else a more imposing, beautiful, and varied landscape. Notwithstanding these many differences, however, three general zones may be distinguished in the sierra. The first, or sub-Andine, lies between altitudes of 6,560 and 11,150 feet and is especially adapted to the cultivation of cereals; the second, or paramo (11,150 to 15,000 feet), has great stretches of natural pasture, and the third is the region of perpetual snow, lying above 15,000 feet. The trans-Andine region, to the east of the Cordillera Oriental, is a wide zone in which the soil never becomes dry. Dense tangled forests cover mile upon mile and its rivers and their tributaries weave, accord¬ ing to an Ecuadorean writer, a veritable network of w'aterways. The sultriness of the atmosphere is intensified by the continuous presence of fog, which drenches the forest; and the Amazon, flowing and spread¬ ing through the age-old trees, forms, in the graphic words of Humboldt, a fresh-water Mediterranean in the midst of South America. Within this region there is an extensive area under dispute between Ecuador and Peru, a dispute which, it is hoped, will soon be settled in a just and equitable manner with due consideration of the rights and interests of both countries. The two main chains of the Andine cordillera, joined by transverse ranges, e.xert a powerfid and decisive inflxience over Ecuador. Not only do they condition its orography, hydrography, and climate, but they form an important factor in its social and economic life. * ** Besides its continental territory, Ecuador possesses a number of islands situated along its extended coast line. Of these, the Coldn or (lalapagos archipelago, discovered by the Spaniards in the XVI centur>% deserves special mention. It is situated between 500 and 600 miles off the coast just on the Equator, and according to Wolf, its climate is one of the most healthful and agreeable in the world. The archipelago became officially a part of Ecuadorean territory in PERIODS OF ECUADOREAN HISTORY The general historj' of Ecuador may be divided into the following periods; First. The prehistoric, which includes the time from the beginnings of human existence in w’hat is now Ecuador dowm to the conquest of i THE CENTENAKY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ECUADOR 769 that region by the Incas in hard-won battles with its aboriginal tribes. It is natural, of course, that the beginning of this period can not be determined. It closed during the decade between 1460 and 1470. Second. The primitive, covering the years of Incan rule. This period began between 1460 and 1470, with the final conquest of the aborigines by the Incas Tupac Yupanqui and Huaynacapac, and ended with the death of the “King of Quito,” the Inca Atahualpa, on August 29, 1533. Third. The Colonial, embracing the years of Spanish rule, from the death of Atahualpa in 1533 to the victory of Pichincha on May 24, 1822.