1827 Guayaquil uprising

The Spanish-American wars of independence that began around 1810 had permeated emancipatory ideas in several members of Guayaquil society, who developed an independence movement that concluded with the taking of power of the city on October 9, 1820 and the immediate reaction of other localities within the province.[1] A provisional civil and military government was formed, as well as an army to ensure and preserve the independent status against the troops loyal to the Spanish Crown. The Free Province of Guayaquil emerged after the proclamation of its Reglamento Provisorio de Gobierno (provisional constitution) on November 11 of that year as an independent state, which was not recognized during the war period.[2] The Protective Division of Quito, the name of the Guayaquil army, began a military campaign with the aim of making the other territories of the former Presidency of Quito independent.

With a good beginning of its campaign with the victory in the battle of Camino Real, the Protective Division advanced rapidly through the inter-Andean alley towards the north; however, the defeat in the first battle of Huachi made the troops withdraw back to the coast. Simón Bolívar wanted to ensure the independence of the newly created Republic of Colombia (now known as Gran Colombia) by sending a division of his army from New Granada to Guayaquil to renew the attack on the royalists entrenched in the Quito mountains. The Colombian army, commanded by Antonio José de Sucre, merged with the Guayaquil troops, with certain Peruvian and River Plate elements, initiating the so-called Campaign of the South that concluded with the independence victory in the battle of Pichincha on May 24, 1822.

The pretensions of the Guayaquil government board were, after having concluded with the independence of the peoples of the former Presidency of Quito, to form a new state. However, the town hall of the city of Cuenca had decided to annex itself to Colombia on April 11, 1822; and the Quito authorities, after the battle of Pichincha, also made the decision to join the Colombian nation on Sucre's suggestion on May 29. The Free Province of Guayaquil, which had suffered many casualties in its army due to the help given in the Southern Campaign, decided to remain autonomous from any other state.

In the city of Guayaquil there were three factions within the population and its authorities; there were those who preferred an annexation to Colombia, while others saw it more favorably for the territory to be part of Peru, and lastly, those who considered the province to remain independent and autonomous, among whom were José Joaquín de Olmedo and other members of the Government Board. Its status as the main port on the Pacific coast and its rapid commercial growth made Peruvian claims manifest through General José de San Martín. Simón Bolívar, aware of the Peruvian advance, intends to meet in Guayaquil with San Martín to determine his situation. However, Bolívar went ahead and entered Guayaquil on July 11 with an army of three thousand soldiers, forcing the resignation of the Governing Board and proclaiming himself dictator. The interview between Bolívar and San Martín took place on July 26, already dealing with other issues with Peruvian disadvantage in claiming Guayaquil territory. Finally, on July 31, 1822, Bolívar formally decreed the annexation of the occupied Province of Guayaquil to the Republic of Colombia.

The Republic of Colombia (named by historiography as Gran Colombia to differentiate it from the current republic of the same name) was formally established with the merger of Venezuela and Nueva Granada in the Congress of Angostura in 1819, which drafted the Fundamental Law of the Republic, which was ratified by the Congress of Cúcuta on July 12, 1821 under the official name of the Constitution of the Republic of Colombia. Initially, the Gran Colombian territory included only Venezuela and New Granada, however, later Panama was incorporated in 1821, while Cuenca, Quito and Guayaquil were incorporated in 1822. On June 25, 1824, the Senate and the House of Representatives promulgated the Law of Territorial Division of the Republic in which the Colombian territory was divided into twelve departments grouped into three districts, each department was subdivided into several provinces, and these in turn into several cantons.

With the law of 1824, the department of Guayaquil was divided into two provinces: Guayaquil and Manabí; the province of Guayaquil was divided into the cantons of Guayaquil, Daule, Babahoyo, Baba, Punta de Santa Elena and Machala; and the province of Manabí was divided into the cantons of Portoviejo, Jipijapa, and Montecristi. The cities aspired to regain some control over the rural territory, which they had held for much of the Colony and lost during the Cadiz regime; however, the creation of the 1824 law established a municipality in each canton head. In several parts of the country they were dissatisfied with this provision.

The wars of the Colombian State were supported financially by various taxes and forced contributions. In the municipalities they opposed the figure of the "intendente", who was subject to the central executive power and regulated fiscal resources.[3] The population was opposed to direct contributions falling on owners and professionals. The protests raised in various parts of Colombia caused the rate to be replaced in 1826 by the poll tax, a tax levied on all men between 14 and 60 years of age;[4] Said tax was only in force for two years due to the refusal of the general population to pay it.[4]

La Cosiata, also known as the "Morrocoyes revolution", was a political movement that broke out in the city of Valencia, in Venezuela, led by General José Antonio Páez on April 30, 1826. This rebellion consisted of the uprising of several Venezuelan municipalities in favor of autonomy with respect to the Colombian government, proclaiming Páez as civil and military chief of said department. This event laid the foundations for the later separation of Venezuela from Gran Colombia.

By the beginning of 1825, Peru had not consolidated its independence and there were still redoubts loyal to the Spanish Crown. Simón Bolívar was dictator of Peru, a position that was estimated to be close to being replaced by the election of a purely Peruvian government and that would lead to the restoration of the Peruvian constitution of 1823; however, the Peruvian Congress decided to extend the Bolivarian dictatorship on February 10, and a month later, on March 10, it ceased its functions by its own decision.