International audience This paper addresses the contradictions between the indigenous political project in Ecuador andof those projects of both the central government and the external actors. The promotion of collectiverights has arisen as a central claim of the indigenous groups who aim to participate in thedefinition of the national economic and politic development model facing ambiguous opponents.This complex interaction is analyzed in order to reveal how an apparent convergence of discoursesaround the promotion of decentralization and participative democracy hides a huge diversity ofsocial and political change projects.Keywords: indigenous peoples • decentralization • democracy • Ecuador • participation