Introduction

This chapter provides an introduction to the collection of studies on Amazonian Spanish. It summarizes the socio-historical context of the formation of Colombian, Ecuadorian and Peruvian Amazonian varieties, and offers geographical and demographic information of the Amazonian regions in these countries where the data were collected. The authors address the interconnectedness between the Andes and the Amazon since pre-Colonial times, and the role of the Andean piedmont in their articulation. They highlight the crucial role of multilingualism and language contact in the formation of Amazonian Spanishes, and point out that despite this great diversity, there is evidence of Pan-Amazonian Spanish linguistic features spread in Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia.