Roads: Access to Civilization and Contact in the Ecuadorian Amazon

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.5585425050213

• Palavras-chave: '

• Keywords: Ecuadorian Amazon, roads, colonization, indigenous peoples, territorial conflict, historical ethnography

• Abstract: This article analyzes the impact of road construction in the Ecuadorian Amazon as axes of social, cultural, and environmental transformation. Through a historical-ethnographic approach, it examines how the development of the so-called Auca and Maxus roads, built by oil companies, affected spatial appropriation and facilitated colonization, natural resource exploitation, and subsequent urbanization, while generating territorial and cultural conflicts with indigenous communities. Testimonies from local actors are integrated to illustrate the dynamics of change and resistance in the region. The study concludes that roads are not merely infrastructure for development but also symbols of a civilizing project that redefines the relationship between the forest, the state, and local communities.