ABSTRACT
The Andean countries of Ecuador and Bolivia hold much in common. Both have sizable indigenous populations, many of which have successfully retained their unique languages and cultures, albeit to varying degrees, throughout more than 500 years of Spanish colonial and post-colonial oppression. Both are home to vast numbers of speakers of Quechua, the largest indigenous language in South America with over 10 million speakers. And both have been overshadowed to some extent by Peru, the largest, most economically powerful Andean nation, and former seat of the Inca empire. Peru is home to the greatest number of indigenous language speakers in South America (6 million), and was the first Andean nation to institute a national bilingual education policy in 1972-1973 (Hornberger & King, 2000).
