The first Italians heading to
Ecuador embarked from the port of
Genoa in the 19th century. Many of these Italians were sailors and inhabitants of rural regions, who ventured to emigrate to South American lands. First, they sailed to the Chilean ports, then the migratory waves extended to the northernmost ports (
Peru and Ecuador). A part of the Italian immigrants arrived in
Guayaquil from Peru, fleeing the
Peruvian/Chilean war. Before
World War I, a small colony of Italians existed in Ecuador; 650 in total, of whom 500 lived in Guayaquil. Almost two-thirds were originally from Liguria and were mainly engaged in trade between Ecuador and Europe. Starting from the 1920s, many Italians emigrated to the coasts of Ecuador; the vast majority settled in Guayaquil. In 1921, the Italians founded "La Previsora", the first financial company in Ecuador, which promoted the cultivation and marketing of Ecuadorian
cocoa in the world. The Italian government sent the "Accorsi Mission" to Ecuador for economic-military aid and an agricultural colony of Italians was planned near the Colombian border, but the intervention of the United States and its oil companies (which feared the Italian presence) blocked everything. Italians were very well accepted in the country due to their integration with Ecuadorian culture. Along with the presence of the Spanish on the north and south coasts of the country, the Italians began to develop various activities on the coasts. There are currently 19,000 Italian citizens and almost 56,000 descendants of Italians residing in Ecuador, being one of the lowest rates of migrant ancestry in the country, where Arabs and Spaniards play a more prominent role. ==Notable Italian Ecuadorians==