ABSTRACT
The Spanish Crown neither organized nor financed the conquest of the "Kingdom of Quito." That task was the work of the private conquistadors who relied solely on personal effort, ingenuity, and determination. Taxes, voluntary contributions, and monopolies provided the greatest portion of the wealth derived by Spain from her colonial venture. The emergence of the colonial textile industry was not part of a general economic plan implemented by the metropolis; rather it came about because Spain was not able to provide the lower-quality cloths used by Indians, mestizos, and impoverished whites in the colony. Colonial society in the Audiencia of Quito contained three discernible social groups: Spanish administrators, creole landowners, and Indian laborers. Conflicts of interest among these sectors were manifested in Indian uprisings and in rebellions by the "whites." The Spaniards were hard pressed to subjugate the Indian tribes of the Oriente region, some of which groups remained free of Spanish control throughout the entire period.
