Spanish colonialism exacted a high price from its subjects, promoting economic dependency at the expense of a more vital, diversified economy based on a mix of industry and agriculture. The result was a legacy of underdevelopment, domestic social inequities, and economic subordination to the North Atlantic world. This volume examines how Spanish colonial policies contributed to profound socioeconomic changes, leading to patterns of underdevelopment in the Kingdom of Quito (modern Ecuador) from 1690 to 1830.