ecuador history By garcia.m.lene@gmail.com 1830 Spanish colonization and the Real Audiencia of Quito, and independence from Gran Colombia in 1830 1830 Incan conquest Period: 1830 to 2008 pre-Columbian cultures 1942 territorial loss to Peru in 1942 1961 military rule from 1963 1967 the discovery of oil in 1967 1976 the restoration of democracy in 1979 2008 the adoption of a new constitution in 2008