Ecuador’s Public Holidays provide a handy guide to this South American country’s road to independence from Spain.
Independence Day commemorates Quito’s declaration of independence in 1809, the first city to do so in Latin America. While that attempt proved unsuccessful, it paved the way for the nationalist movement that would sweep over Central and South America later that century.
Eleven years later, on October 9th 1820, Guayaquil declared its independence during the Ecuadorian War of Independence – this event is marked by another public holiday.
Cuenca, the economic centre of the southern highlands, declared its independence on November 3rd 1820.
These declarations were important milestones in the war and gave momentum to the liberation of Quito.
After the war and independence, Cuenca became the capital of one of the three provinces that made up the newly-formed republic.
Cuenca is the third-largest city in Ecuador and the capital of the Azuay Province. The historic centre of the city is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its many historical buildings.