African Ecuadorian Music of the Chota River Valley.

When we think of Latin America regions that have large populations of African Americans, Ecuador does not usually come to mind. Yet as much as 25% of the country’s population are African Ecuadorians.  The first African  arrived in Ecuador in the sixteenth century, after which Jesuit missionaries brought in large numbers of African slaves to work on plantations both on the coast and in the central highlands; Indigenous laborers were hard to find in some areas and unwilling to serve as slaves in others.  The most widely accepted view is that African Ecuadorians of the Chota Valley are descendent from slaves held by the Jesuits on their plantations in the highlands.

Afro Americans settled down in the northern shore line, what is now the province of Esmeraldas and also in the Chota Valley.  On a cultural way, we can say that Marimba music comes from the Esmeraldas region, the name is due the use of marimbas among other instruments. Sometimes this music is played in religious ceremonies, as well as in celebrations and parties. It features call and response chanting along with the music. On the other hand, in the Chota valley there is Bomba music.  This music is very different from marimba, having a more prominent Spanish, mestizo and indigenous influence. It can vary from mid tempo to a very fast tempo. It is usually played with guitars, as well with the local instrument called bomba, which is a drum, along with güiro and sometimes bombos and bongos.

The Chota Valley is located in the basin of the Chota River between the provinces of Imbabura and Carchi, in the middle of the Andes mountain range.

  

Overview of the northern part of  Ecuador. 

Chota River Valley. 

From these region, during the 1980s and 1990s, the best-known musicians where the guitarists-composer-singers Germán, Fabián, and Eleuterio Congo and their colleague, Milton Tadeo.  At the beginning of their carrier, they used to play mostly around their home village Carpuela; by the 1990 they were regional celebrities, giving concert in local villages, on the coast, and in nearby Colombia. The Congo brothers are the third generation of composer-performers in their family.  They identify themselves as Grupo Ecuador de los Hermanos Congo y Milton Tadeo (“Euador Ensemble of the Congo Brothers and Milton Tadeo”). Germán plays lead guitar (requinto), Fabián and Milton play the guitar and sing, Eleuterio plays the bomba, the Chota-area double-headed drum held between the knees and played with the hands; and Ermundo plays the güiro (scraper)

Racism, like in the United States, is deeply ingrained in the Ecuadorian society towards the Afro Americans, Specially from the mestizos and criollos population.  Poverty is rampant among this populations as well.
This leads to the definition of mestizo and criollo. Mestizo is used to define a person who is descendant of an native from Europe and a native form the Americas, this term was used in a racist way during the Spanish control. Criollo, on the other hand,  are people descendant from spanish natives who were born in the Americas, is was considered a social class.
Despite this, we can agree that Afro Ecuadorian population is rich in culture, having two main music styles, and also giving some great athletes to the country of Ecuador.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afro-Ecuadorian

Bomba example
another example