The land in Ecuador has become a hot spot for mining projects in the recent years. The land has an abundance of copper that has yet to be extracted, and mining in the Amazon rainforest shows no signs of slowing down. (Jamasmie) The indigenous people of Ecuador have lived on that land for a long period of time. They wish to protect the land that has provided for them for so many years, but the Ecuadorian government is more concerned with the boost that mining will bring to their economy. Ecuador has valuable minerals in its ground that were a focal point to the conquests in Latin American so long ago. (Voss & Howard, Physical Environment) While the indigenous people may have claimed that land long before anyone else, history has taught us that seniority on land doesn’t exist. When the land has value, people who can, will take it from them. All throughout the world, indigenous groups have suffered to protect their land from powerful people. The Native Americans in the United States used to occupy a large part of the territory in America and now that land has been dwindled down to reservations that were mere fractions of the size they used to roam freely. (Dubar-Ortiz) The rights of indigenous people have been infringed upon since the moment conquests began. Those who conquered and imperialized over others had no sympathy to cultural and racial differences. (Chasteen) At the time of conquest there was a rush to extract resources from Latin America. Gold was the precious metal that caught the eyes of the Europeans and silver was soon to follow. (Chasteen) Today, copper has piqued the interest of foreign nations. With all that history has taught us about a foreign powers wish for natural minerals, it is nearly a sure thing that one way or another, they will get what they intend to.
Ecuador Environment and Indigenous Rights 
