While the Incas, Maya and Aztecs get most of the recognition, there were in fact thousands of different civilizations that thrived in pre-Columbian Latin America. At Agua Blanca, in the Machalilla National Park, you can see ruins from the Manteño civilization, which thrived in this area from about 800 C.E. until the arrival of the Spanish. The town’s name refers to a sulfurous spring here, and after visiting the small museum and ruins, you can indulge in a do-it-yourself spa treatment of a soak and mud bath.
