How did introduced diseases affect Ecuador’s coastal population during the colonial period?

During the 16th century, diseases introduced by Europeans had a devastating impact on the coastal region of what is now Ecuador, decimating the Indigenous populations.3

Because much of the coastal population died as a result of these illnesses, the area remained largely unhealthy until the advent of modern medicine. Consequently, the coast was somewhat neglected throughout the colonial period. This demographic collapse led to a shift in settlement patterns, with the majority of the population eventually residing in the rural Sierra by late colonial times. The remaining small coastal population, which consisted of enslaved people, free Blacks, and individuals of mixed ethnicities, developed a distinct culture characterized by the availability of vacant land and less labor coercion compared to the highland regions.123