A Foreign Life

Oct. 9, 2006

Guayaquil Independence Day!
Posted in Ecuador

Today is Independence Day in Guayaquil! It’s one of our major holidays here.

Unlike the USA, independence in Ecuador was won province by province. Guayas was the first province to attain independence from Spain. Here’s an edited version of the story. More information can be found here.

In the early 1800's the area now known as Ecuador was controlled by the Spanish who had been in control for over 300 years. As the Spanish colonial economy began to fail, messages of the Enlightenment being wrought in Europe began to spread throughout the country on the backs of missionaries. Enlightenment ideals embodied notions of nationalism and individualism and the concepts of equality and freedom. The failing economy and flagging administrative authority of the Spanish, combined with the introduction of Enlightenment ideals set the stage for Ecuador's independence.

Criollos, who were persons of pure Spanish descent born in the New World, resented the privileges afforded to the peninsulares (persons from Spain) and, as a result, sought independence from the Spanish crown. It quickly became apparent that the Creoles in the capital city of Quito lacked the anticipated popular support for their cause. As loyalist troops approached Quito, therefore, they peacefully turned power back to the crown authorities. Despite assurances against reprisals, the returning Spanish authorities (who were actually under French control as Napolean Bonaparte had dethroned the Spanish King and had installed his brother there) proved to be merciless with the rebels and, in the process of ferreting out participants in the Quito revolt, jailed and abused many innocent citizens. Their actions, in turn, bred popular resentment among Quiteños.

The second chapter in Ecuador's struggle for emancipation from Spanish colonial rule began in Guayaquil, where independence was proclaimed on October 9, 1820 by a local patriotic junta under the leadership of the poet José Joaquín de Olmedo. By this time, the forces of independence had grown throughout the South American continent and were organized into two principal armies, one under the Venezuelan Simón Bolívar Palacios in the north and the other under the Argentine José de San Martín in the south. Unlike the hapless Quito junta, the Guayaquil patriots were able to appeal to foreign allies, Argentina and Venezuela, each of whom soon responded by sending sizable contingents to Ecuador. Antonio José de Sucre Alcalá, the brilliant young lieutenant of Bolívar who arrived in Guayaquil in May 1821, was to become the key figure in the ensuing military struggle against the royalist forces.

After a series of battles victory was culminated in the decisive Battle of Pichincha, on the slopes of the volcano of that name on the western outskirts of Quito, on May 24, 1822. The provinces became part of Simón Bolívar's Gran Colombia. The province of Guayaquil, which attained it’s independence on October 9, 1820, remained dedicated to the prospect of continuing its status of Free Province and had to be annexed manu militari by Bolívar in July 1822.

i'm now going to read up on this! thanks lonely :)

if u wanna see some pictures
http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A9gnMiMpNAxHkCgAoG2JzbkF?p=guayaquil+&ei=UTF-8&x=wrt&js=1&ni=21

thanks for letting me know huggs for u

(((((Miguel))))))

dude ecuador rocks!

ok unemployment there is terrible but one of my best friends is out of ecu :D

Wait...does this mean we finally know where Lonely is from!?

Viva Guayaquil Independence Day! (I just killed the Spanish language with that sorry )

(((((Miguel)))))

timorek is not unployment
the big problem is the low wages.

they might have done it
i was working

Cheers to you...Maybe we should set off fireworks..


Nice story..thanks for sharing

{{{Miguel}}}

SQUISHY HUGS FOR EVERYONE!!! (((((((SQUISHY)))))

thank you my friends
i just miss home, but tomorrow i'll bi kicking again

{{{Miguel}}}

So, if you were in Equador, what would you be doing to celebrate?

M

i would be at the malecon (riverwalk) about 2 miles long.
we should have fireworks, food, traditional dancing, army parade. hell of a party.
a bunch of tanned skin ecuadorian cuties (yummy)

Walker.....I am sorry that you are home sick! It is sooo hard to be away from family on holidays....((((Walker))))....

and just what is wrong with us fair skinned Irish descent cuties????

(((Miguel)))

eileena
i was just stating something that i like.