I FOUND SACAGAWEA AND SHE IS HIDING IN ECUADOR!!!! The somewhat defunct dollar coin that was released with much fanfare in the US in 2001 only to be forgotten by Americans who cannot get used to the idea of dollar coins, is alive and well in Ecuador. The offical currency of Ecuador is the US Dollar. Greenbacks are the paper money of choice and the coins are an eclectic mix of US money and Ecuadorian look-alikes.