Large numbers of the people work as day laborers on large banana or cacao plantations. Cacao is a seed used in making chocolate and cocoa. Other people cultivate small plots of land that they have cleared in the forest. These farmers move from place to place as the soil wears out. Mestizo farmers in the Andes own land or work as day laborers on haciendas.
Some mestizos live in the cities and work as laborers, servants, or shopkeepers.
Most of the blacks in Ecuador live in the northern part of the coastal plain, and many of them fish for a living. Many Indians of Ecuador have almost no power or money and little contact with the rest of the people. They speak Quechua or other Indian languages, wear Indian clothing, and follow Indian customs. Most of the Indians of Ecuador belong to the Roman Catholic Church, but their religion also includes many local beliefs and ceremonies. Most of the Indians live in Andean villages.