Picoazá is an urban parish in

Portoviejo Canton Portoviejo Canton is a canton of Ecuador, located in the Manabí Province. Its capital is the city of Portoviejo. Its population at the 2001 census was 238,430. Demographics Ethnic groups as of the Ecuadorian census of 2010: * Mestizo 67.9% ...

, Manabí Province,

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

. It is situated on the western side of the city of

Portoviejo Portoviejo (), also known as San Gregorio de Portoviejo, is a city in Ecuador, and the capital of the Provinces of Ecuador, Province of Manabí Province, Manabí from the Pacific coast. It is still known as the city of the "Royal Tamarind Trees" ...

and has a population of nearly 19,000.

History

Archeological finds made in the area in 2008 suggest that Picoazá is the site of a

pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, ...

settlement. In 1907, the second archaeological expedition of

Marshall Howard Saville Marshall Howard Saville (1867–1935) was an American archaeologist, born in Rockport, Massachusetts. He studied anthropology at Harvard (1889–1894), engaged in field work under F. W. Putnam, and made important discoveries among the mound build ...

involved the exploration of caves around Picoazá, and in particular the Cerro Jaboncilla and Cerro de Hojas sites, which are away from Picoazá. They provided many important artefacts to Saville. Picoazá was itself the site of a Manteño chiefdom, according to early colonial sources, and contained quantities of characteristic Manteño pottery and large stone foundations. It was split into four major settlements, with the chief of the principal settlement overlord. The archeological site was declared a national cultural patrimony in 2009.

Tourism and demographics

This part of Manabí Province is known for its cuisine, fine beaches, and ceibo trees, which are unique to the region. Picoazá is also a commercial center, distributing agricultural products and consumer goods. The average family income in Picoazá is about US$120 per month. The town has inadequate potable water, sewers, and telephone service.

Politics

An incident involving a fictitious write-in candidacy occurred in the town in 1967. A company ran a series of campaign-themed advertisements for a foot powder called Pulvapies. Some of the slogans used included "Vote for any candidate, but if you want well-being and hygiene, vote for Pulvapies", and "For Mayor: Honorable Pulvapies." The foot powder Pulvapies ended up receiving the most votes in the election. A followup story from

United Press International United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20t ...

said: "Reports that Pulvapies had been elected mayor of the coastal town of Picoaza were not true. The election in the town was for municipal councilmen, not for mayor."; the problem had arisen from the nationwide distribution of distributing advertising flyers that were "the same size and color as the official ballots", and an estimated 10,000 had been turned in at ballot boxes in place of the ballots with multiple candidates, mostly in Quito and

Guayaquil , motto = Por Guayaquil Independiente en, For Independent Guayaquil , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Ecuador#South America , pushpin_re ...

."Ad Campaign for Footpowder Stirs Trouble", ''Minneapolis Star Tribune'', July 20, 1967, p27

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Picoaza Populated places in Manabí Province Parishes of Ecuador