An indigenous ethnic group and people of Ecuador and southern Colombia, or their language.
From the Cayapa people's own ethnonym; the word entered Spanish colonial records and then English ethnographic literature. The exact pre-Columbian origin is uncertain but reflects indigenous Ecuadorian naming conventions.
The Cayapa people maintained their language and culture despite Spanish colonization—there are still Cayapa speakers today, making this one of the few indigenous American language names that points to living communities!
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