Clearly, we wan say that the Manteņo occupied the Western coast and lowlands of Ecuador between about 700 AD and the Spanish Conquest, in the early 1500's AD. Many Manteņo were farmers and fishermen. Society was arranged as a chiefdom, with a few elite members of society making the bulk of decisions in terms of substantial trade, the settlement of disputes, mediation with the supernatural and so on. We may also see that the Manteņo occupied a unique position, geographically, situated between the high civilizations of Mexico to the North, and those of Peru to the South. The Manteņo took advantage of this strategic position -- as well as their good fortune in having large stands of balsa trees -- to build cargo rafts for long distance voyages North and South. These voyages usually served to exchange special goods, such as certain types of shell, as well as technology. It is believed that metal-working technology was directly imported from Central and South America to West Mexico by Manteņo trade activities.

Over time, balsa trade networks grew in importance and local chiefs responsible for them gained increasing wealth. By the time the Spanish arrived, the cargo sailing rafts had reached gigantic proportions, often capable of carrying large quantities of goods, ranging from richly-colored cloth to gold, shell and other items. In the continued effort to maintain and increase power and prestige, Manteņo chiefs (and their predecessors) underwrote a massive maritime trade system on the West Coast of South and Cenrtral America for centuries. This trade network fostered cultural development in all regions, with a diffusion of ideas, goods and, probably, people. It is the Northern leg of the trade network -- between Ecuador and West Mexico -- that is the focus of our expedition.

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