Spanish Courses and Schools in Ecuador, South America

If you are searching for a diminutive place for Spanish courses in South America, one that boasts diversity in both land structure and culture, Ecuador is the place for you. Join us on our Spanish courses in Ecuador and grant yourself the opportunity to experience a wide range of life's little treasures. Find yourself in steam-filled tropical rainforests in the midst of billows of brightly tinted butterflies one day, and in the highland market below ice-capped volcanoes, chatting with scarlet-ponchoed indigenes the next. Have the opportunity to visit the Galapagos Islands, where Charles Darwin researched his survival of the fittest theories, or you can enjoy the city life in the capital city of Quito or in the city of Guayaquil, both boasting wonderfully preserved colonial-style buildings mixed with cosmopolitan areas which demonstrate their ability to be world-class destinations. Choose to learn Spanish in Ecuador, and reward yourself with a lifetime of memories of the land, the wildlife, and the beautiful and diverse people. Experience the unimaginable and create the unforgettable.

Ecuador - History

Indigenous people flourished in Ecuador long before the Inca Empire mostly conquered the area in the fifteenth century. Through a succession of wars and marriages with the different nations that inhabited the Interandean valley, the region became part of the Inca Empire. The Spanish, however, had conquest intentions and established themselves in a fort in Cajamarca. The indigenous population was decimated by disease in the first decades of Spanish rule — a time when the natives also were forced into the "encomienda" labor system for Spanish property owners. Quito became the seat of a royal "audiencia" (administrative district) of Spain In 1563, and part of the Vice-Royalty of Peru with its capital in Lima.

After nearly three hundred years of Spanish colonization, Quito was a city of around ten thousand inhabitants, and it was there, in the Battle of Pichincha in 1822, that Ecuador joined Simón Bolívar's Republic of Gran Colombia, only to become a separate republic in 1830.

The nineteenth century was marked by instability, with a rapid succession of rulers. The conservative Gabriel Garcia Moreno unified the country in the 1860s with the support of the Roman Catholic Church. In the late 19th century, world demand for cocoa tied the economy to commodity exports and led to migrations from the highlands to the agricultural frontier on the coast.

Control over territory in the Amazon basin led to a long-lasting dispute between Ecuador and Peru. In 1941, in midst of fast-growing tensions between the two countries, war broke out. Peru claimed that Ecuador 's military presence in Peruvian-claimed territory was an invasion while Ecuador, on the other hand, claimed Peru invaded Ecuador. In July 1941, troops were mobilized.

After a few weeks of war and under pressure by the U.S and several Latin American nations, all fighting came to a stop. Ecuador and Peru came to an accord formalized in the Rio Protocol, signed on January 29, 1942, in favor of hemispheric unity against the Axis Powers in World War II. Because of its victory, Peru was awarded the disputed territory. Two more wars, and a peace agreement reached in 1989, would follow to finally end the dispute. Both wars were undeclared. The Ecuadorians, with the help of Chile, managed to overcome the Peruvian troops.

Spanish Schools Ecuador - Geography

Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a representative democratic republic in South America, bounded by Colombia on the north, by Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean on the west. The country also contains the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific, about 965 kilometers (600 miles) west of the mainland. Ecuador is the Spanish word for equator. It straddles the equator and has an area of 256,370 square kilometers (98,985 mi²). Its capital city is Quito ; however, its largest city is Guayaquil.

Ecuador has three dominant geographic regions and an insular region in the Pacific Ocean :

La Costa (“the coast”) comprises the low-lying littoral in the western part of the country. La Sierra ("the highlands") is a high-altitude belt running north to south along the middle of the country, its mountainous terrain dominated by the Andes mountain range.

El Oriente ("the east") comprises the Amazon rainforest areas in the eastern part of the country, accounting for slightly under half of the country's total surface area

Región Insular is the region comprising the Galápagos Islands, some 1,000 kilometers (620 mi) west of the mainland in the Pacific Ocean.

Spanish Courses Ecuador - Economy

Ecuador has substantial petroleum resources, which have accounted for 40% of the country's export earnings and one-third of central government budget revenues in recent years. Consequently, fluctuations in world market prices can have a substantial domestic impact. In the late ‘90s, Ecuador felt its worst economic crisis. Natural disasters and sharp declines in world petroleum prices drove Ecuador 's economy into free fall in 1999. Real GDP contracted by more than 6%, with poverty worsening significantly. The banking system also collapsed, and Ecuador defaulted on its external debt later that year.

The currency depreciated by some 70% in 1999, and, on the brink of hyperinflation, the Mahaud government announced it would dollarize the economy. A coup, however, ousted Mahaud from office in January 2000, and after a short-lived junta failed to garner military support, Vice President Gustavo Noboa took over the presidency. In March 2000, Congress approved a series of structural reforms that also provided the framework for the adoption of the US dollar as legal tender. Dollarization stabilized the economy, and growth returned to its pre-crisis levels in the years that followed. Under the administration of Lucio Gutierrez - January 2003 to April 2005 - Ecuador benefited from higher world petroleum prices.

Learn Spanish in Ecuador, South America - Climate

Four distinct geographical zones in Ecuador are all subject to their own weather patterns. In the Galápagos, from June through September, the air and water are chilly and the winds can be a bit rough. From October through May, the air and water temperatures are warmer, but you can expect light rain, at periods, almost daily. On the coast, the rainy season goes from December to May; this season is marked by both hot weather and humidity. The cooler air temperature from June through September attracts whales and dolphins to the waters off the coast. In Quito and the highlands, the weather is coolest from June through September (the dry season), but it's only a few degrees colder than the rest of the year.

Keep in mind that although Quito is practically on the equator, the temperature can get quite cool because it's at such a high altitude (more than 2,700m/9,000 ft. above sea level); the city has an average high of 67°F (19°C) and an average low of 50°F (10°C). In the jungle area, it rains all year, but especially hard from December through April. The temperature in the jungle can reach 80°F to 90°F (27°C-32°C) during the day; it's a little cooler at night.

Spanish Schools Ecuador - Food

The food in Ecuador is very diverse, varying with altitude as do the agricultural conditions. Pork, chicken, meat or “cuy” (guinea pig) are popular in the mountain regions served with an immense variety of cereals, potatoes or rice. A street food in mountain regions of Ecuador is potatoes served with roasted pig (hornado). Fanesca is also a dish that has been made famous in Ecuador, it is a soup made during the time of Lent and is made with 12 types of bean and milk. It is usually served with codfish.

There is a great variety of fresh fruit available, particularly at lower altitudes. Seafood is very popular along the coast, predominantly with prawns. Plantain and peanut based dishes and foods are the basis of most coastal meals, which in general are served in two courses: a "caldo", or soup, which may be "aguado" (a thin soup, usually with meat), or "caldo de leche", a cream vegetable soup. The second course might typically include rice, some meat or fish in a "menestra" (stew), and salad or vegetables. Patacones are very popular side dishes with coastal meals.

In the rainforest, a dietary staple is the yuca, a root (elsewhere called cassava). The starchy root is peeled and boiled, fried, or used in a variety of other dishes. Many fruits are also available in this region.

Eating out cost less than $2 per head if you stick to set menus; at lunch this is called almuerzo and at dinner merienda, which consist of two or three courses and a drink. À la carte and individual main courses (platos fuertes) are typically $2–5 – you're probably in a smart place if it's much more than $7.

Ecuador - Interesting Facts

• There are 31 volcanoes in Ecuador
• An important Ecuador fact is that this country is considered among the most mega-diverse countries in the world.
• Ecuador holds the greatest number of plants and animals, per square mile, on the Planet.
• Ecuador occupies the fourth place in bird diversity. (17% of all the species of the entire world live in this territory) including 124 species of birds, representing 35% of all species in the world.
• Ecuador is called or known also as the "hummingbird Country".
• Ecuador is the world's number one producer of bananas, and the second shrimp producer in the world.
• The Panama hat is the world's worst named piece of headgear, considering it was invented in Ecuador. It's been said that some of the hats made by local craftsmen are so well stitched that they can be passed through a wedding ring without losing their shape.

Spanish Courses in Ecuador - Advice

At our Spanish schools and courses in Ecuador and throughout South America our advice can really be summed up with one simple word - practice! What kind of study materials you use is not quite as important as how or how often you use them. Your hard work and determination will be one of the biggest factors in successful language learning.

The Spanish school and course you choose in South America is going to be the core of your Spanish study, so make sure you choose a Spanish language course that gives you structured lessons and lots of opportunity to practice your new language skills. Our Spanish courses at our Spanish schools in Ecuador and throughout South America, will give you the perfect opportunity to study, learn, and practice Spanish in a supportive, well planned and friendly environments.

You must work at your new Spanish language skills every day. Ideally, you should study Spanish an extra hour or more every day. If you can get at least an extra half-hour of study time, that's pretty good too. Try to at least get a little review and study, learn and practice Spanish every single day.

If you attend one of our Spanish courses in Ecuador and you learn Spanish everyday, you will have a good basic knowledge of the Spanish language in a reasonable amount of time. Your knowledge and ability will increase and improve depending upon what other tools you use and what kind of experiences you have using the Spanish language.

Grammar book. A good old-fashioned grammar book may be boring but they are a great way to really get to grips with the details of the language.

Phrase Book

These are extremely helpful books that you can carry with you. They can be useful for practicing pronunciation, or for quickly finding a lot of more commonly used phrases, words and idioms. Phrase books are always a nice supplement to learn Spanish and they are convenient and cheap.

Dictionary. Absolutely necessary in the long run. You must have a dictionary if you wish to expand your vocabulary, and you will need one in order to take full advantage of many of the Spanish language learning tips set out here. Make sure you get one that translates both ways e.g. English to Spanish AND Spanish to English. It is also helpful to find a dictionary that contains idioms – the phrases particular to the language which you are studying – as well as phrases that are commonly used in the Spanish language, but may be difficult to translate. As an example in English - 'to give the cold shoulder' or 'it's a piece of cake!'

Flashcards

A simple Spanish language learning tip, but a very effective way to review, refresh your memory and expand your vocabulary. There are pre-made flashcards that can be purchased, or for extra help, you can create your own. Keep them with you at all times, in your pocket or in your car, and look at them for a quick review or language lesson at every opportunity. They are very convenient.

Talk to yourself

It may be obvious, but the best way to learn Spanish in South America is to speak Spanish in South America ! This convenient method can be use at all times, as you can even talk to yourself. Even if you are in public and don't feel comfortable talking to yourself out loud, you can make it your habit to practice Spanish by thinking Spanish. Throughout the day, think of the Spanish words for everything you pass – objects in your house, things you pass when you are traveling, things you use at work or school, etc. Learn basic Spanish phrases like – ‘it is cold today' or ‘it is sunny today' and use whichever is appropriate when you first look out the window. By putting this tip into use on a regular basis, the vocabulary and phrases will become more routine and automatic.

Practice with friends

Taking it even further than talking to yourself, you can practice with your friends. Even if they don't speak Spanish, talk to the people you know by using your new language. Warn them in advance that you are practicing your new knowledge and they'll know what's coming. Even a simple 'good morning' or 'see you later' in Spanish will make those phrases more natural to you. Your friends may even begin to learn a few words and join in the fun too!

Listen to music

Listen to Spanish music. You'll hear the Spanish language used in a real context and this will help you pick out the rhythm and pronunciation even better. This method will also give you a further understanding of, and appreciation for, the culture and customs of the people. Music in Spanish might be easier to find than others, but Amazon or eBay and many other global websites will enable you to find music in Spanish and many different languages.