Sometimes peoples were deliberately separated, sometimes not. Often African languages, and the worldview they enfold, were lost. The Gullah language of the Georgia and Carolina Sea Islands proves an exception. So do African languages spoken in Cuba to this day. Despite myriad differences, a common legacy of stories survived.
Some stories combine local history and West African roots.
Legend has it that in the 1530s, a Spanish ship traveling from Panama to Peru foundered off the coast of Esmeraldas, a province in northern Ecuador. Enslaved Africans, on deck at the time, jumped ship and swam ashore. They began fighting with Indians occupying the land. After fierce battles, dying blacks and Indians made so much noise that it reached hell and woke the devil from a nice nap. Eager to regain his peace and quiet, he decided to kill off everyone.