Salve, Oh Patria

Though Ecuador was technically freed from the Spanish in 1822, following the Battle of Pichincha, they did not truly become their own country until 1830 when they separated from the ‘Republic of Gran Colombia’ which included Colombia, Venezuela and Panama. Following their secession, Ecuador continued to struggle and saw many leaders in a short period of time. Finally, the country was united under Gabriel Garcia Moreno in the 1860s. Moreno was a conservative leader and at the time there was high tension between liberals and conservatives in Latin American countries, especially regarding religion (Chasteen, 165). Some countries such as Mexico, began to shift towards more liberal ideologies and distance themselves from the Catholic church (Chasteen, 171). However, Moreno as a strict catholic fell on the more conservative side and used the tension between the two sides to his advantage since it led to  Ecuador being in a state of ancarchy from the 1840s to the 1860s, allowing Moreno to take control and unite the country (Henderson).

To celebrate the newly united nation, Juan León Mera wrote and composed the national anthem that remains in place today. The anthem is title “Salve, oh Patria” which translates to “We Salute You Our Homeland” in English. The lyrics praise the country in various ways. Most of the lyrics emphasize the bravery of the soldiers who fought and died to create this new country. Other portions talk about some of the beautiful landscape present in Ecuador. Overall, this national anthem is a very patriotic and serves as a reminder of the hard work it took to gain their independence, both from the Spanish and the Republic of Gran Colombia. It also serves as a symbol of the differences in Ecuador from other countries in Latin America at the time. While other countries had been independent for around thirty to forty years at this point, they were more likely to see change in their governments to a more progressive model. But Ecuador was just becoming a stable nation and thus needed a more strict and conservative government to ensure they survived.

Works Cited:

Chasteen, John Charles. Born in Blood and Fire. 4rd edition. New York: W.W. Norton, 2016.

“Ecuador – anthem.” In The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide, edited by Helicon. Helicon, 2018. http://0-search.credoreference.com.dewey2.library.denison.edu/content/entry/heliconhe/ecuador_anthem/0?institutionId=4607

Henderson, Peter V.N.. Gabriel Garcia Moreno and Conservative State Formation in the Andes. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2008. Accessed March 3, 2020. ProQuest Ebook Central.