The Indians of Central and South America

1991 The Indians of Central and South America An ethnohistorical dictionary by james S.Olson
The Spanish tried to control the Achuar for many reasons, including looking for gold, but they were not successful; the Achuar resisted violently and the Spaniards left (1).
Until approximately 1830, the Achuar had irregular contact with the Spaniards with the exception of missionaries at the Salesian mission (1). In the late 1800s, their nonviolent contact with “neo-Ecuadorians and neo-Puruvians” rose to gain access to “trade goods, especially metal tools and manufactured cloth” (1). From approximately 1900 to 1930, there was no significant increase in the “ colonization of the Achuar area”, with the exception of missionaries at the Salesian mission (1). A gold rush in the 1930s brought many outsiders, precipitating violent confrontations. Under pressure from the Salesians, the Ecuadorian government established peaceful relations with the Achuar (1). During the past four decades, contact between the Achuar and the larger society has been characterized by relative peace and increasing acculturation, but the general isolation of the Achuar tribal territory has helped them preserve a sense of tribal identity (1).
The Achuar generally pursue a subsistence lifestyle, based on the production of sweet manioc, maize, and a variety of other products in family gardens (1). The need for cash to buy trade goods is steadily increasing, forcing them to spend more and more of their time working as day laborers (1).