Ecuadorian Strategy Board Game: "Ajedrez" or Chess

Chess, as we know it today, was born out of the Indian game chaturanga before the 600s AD. The game spread throughout Asia and Europe over the coming centuries, and eventually evolved into what we know as chess around the 16th century. In India, the game is called shatranj.

Shatranj was introduced to Persia, now Iran, in around 600. When the Muslims conquered Persia, they spread the game through their area of control. including Spain and the Iberian Peninsula. The word shatranj morphed into the Spanish word for chess, ajedrez. The Spanish colonized most of South America, including Ecuador.

The game pieces for this set oppose Spanish conquistadores against indigenous people.


Source:
http://chess.suite101.com/article.cfm/shatrang_or_indian_chess#ixzz0Vment7Lz
https://www.chess.com/article/view/history-of-chess
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_chess