Formation of the image of pre-Hispanic cultures of the coast of Ecuador in the scientific literature of 1900-2010

Abstract

This paper concerns the formation of the image of the pre-hispanic cultures of the Ecuador coast in the 20^th – 21^th centuries historiography. Since the middle of the 20^th century the study of historiography has become a real trend in the history. Historiography of Ecuador however, is insufficiently studied in the foreign literature and is not studied at all by the Russian historians. Thus, the main purpose of this paper is the study of the evolution of concepts and essential problematics to the scientists of the pre- Hispanic past of Ecuador in the 20^th – 21^th centuries. The author seeks to study the entire path of foreign historiography from the first works to the modern ones, in particular, the works of G. Dorsey, M. Saville, E. Estrada, K. Evans, B. Meggers, D. Lothrop, J. Marcos, K. Stothart and H. Benavides. Various periods of scientific knowledge are reviewed: the progression from positivism to the science of the 21th century, which is marked by a turning point in the development of theoretical and methodological foundations. The development of historiography is analyzing on the base of the concept of scientific schools in the interpretation of N.V. Illeritskaya. In conclusion author proposes new periodization of the study of pre- Hispanic cultures of the Ecuador coast.