The Ecuador Flag It is the most important national symbol of this South American country. It is made up of three horizontal stripes. The first one is the yellow one, which occupies half the flag. The following are blue and red, and each occupies a quarter of the pavilion. In the central part the coat of arms of Ecuador is imposed.
This flag is very similar to that of Colombia, and also that of Venezuela, with which it shares shape and colors. This is because they all come from the same historical root.
Francisco de Miranda made the first tricolor design in 1806, when he led the Expedition of the Keys to Venezuela. The flag identified the Venezuelan independence cause, and later, that of Greater Colombia, a country to which Ecuador belonged..
First of all, Ecuador used the Spanish colonial flags. Later, in the first independence movements, it adopted different symbols until the tricolor began to occupy its entire history of flags..
Traditionally, the flag is given a meaning. The yellow is identified with the wealth of the country, the blue with the Pacific Ocean that bathes it and the red with the blood shed by the liberators.
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Ecuador was a Spanish colony for centuries. The current Ecuadorian territory was grouped in the Province of Quito between the years 1563 and 1822. This unit was politically and territorially dependent on the Viceroyalty of Peru, although in 1717 it became part of the Viceroyalty of Nueva Granada.
In any case, the Spanish Crown used a distinctive flag throughout its American colonies. It was the Burgundy Cross, which is a flag with such a cross in burgundy on a white background. This symbol remained in force until 1785.
The Spanish Empire adopted a new national insignia in 1785. Since then, this symbol has remained with slight variations. This was the last Spanish flag to fly in Ecuadorian skies.
It was made up of three horizontal stripes of different sizes. Those at the ends, red in color, occupied a quarter of the flag each. The central one, yellow, colored half of the pavilion. On the left was the simplified royal coat of arms.
The first independence movement enshrined in the State of Quito arose in the year 1811. It was the State of Quito, a small country that became independent in the area of the district of Quito and that was formed through several boards that declared emancipation . All this was framed in the process of the French invasion of Spain, which precipitated the independence struggles.
This first independent state created a republican constitution independently of the three public powers. However, this libertarian experiment was extremely short-lived. Royalist troops finished him off in 1812.
For history the flag used by the State of Quito remained. It consisted of an adapted version of the Spanish Burgundy Cross. In this case, the cross was white and the background was red. This flag had been used by the Revolutionary Junta of Quito in 1809 and the State of Quito subsequently adopted it.
Practically a decade had to wait for the independence movement in this part of the continent. In 1820 the Free Province of Guayaquil was established as a new sovereign state. This territory replaced the Government of Guayaquil, managed by the Spanish monarchy.
The Free Province of Guayaquil was formed as a result of the triumph of the Independence Revolution of Guayaquil. This state proclaimed a constitution and became a symbol of emancipation in the region.
The flag of the Free Province of Guayaquil was made up of the colors azure blue and white. There are various theories that suggest that different leaders such as Gregorio Escobedo or Rafael Ximena created the flag, but some also argue that it was the work of José Joaquín de Olmedo, leader of the nascent state.
Five horizontal stripes of equal size made up the flag, alternating the colors of blue and white. Three white five-pointed stars were located in the central strip. Interpretations of its meaning may refer to the cities of Machala, Portoviejo and Guayaquil or to the districts of Cuenca, Guayaquil and Quito.
A month before its annexation to Gran Colombia, the Free Province of Guayaquil changed its flag. On this occasion, the pavilion became a white cloth with a blue picture in the canton, in which a white five-pointed star was included..
The history of the flags of Ecuador, and the country in general, is marked by Gran Colombia. In 1822 Simón Bolívar's troops, led by Antonio José de Sucre, managed to liberate the area of Quito in the Battle of Pichincha. Since that triumph, the Grancolombiano tricolor began to fly in Quito's lands.
Simón Bolívar, president of Gran Colombia, officially known as the Republic of Colombia, saw Guayaquil as an entry point to Peru. The latter country was still the greatest royalist bastion in South America and a threat to Greater Colombia..
In an act of force, Bolívar carried out a coup in Guayaquil and was proclaimed Supreme Head of the province. Immediately, it decreed its annexation to the Republic of Colombia.
The flag that since then was used in the current Ecuadorian territory was that of Gran Colombia. This pavilion was made up of three equal horizontal stripes, colored yellow, blue and red. In the central part, the shield of the country with two full cornucopias. In addition, it is surrounded by two olive branches.
The Gran Colombia project, which united the peoples of Venezuela, Nueva Granada and Quito, was short-lived. Simón Bolívar's dream ended after conflicts in Venezuela, divisions between the election of a centralist and federal system, and the subsequent death of Bolívar himself. In this way, after the dissolution of Gran Colombia in 1830, the State of Ecuador was born..
The Grancolombian symbolism was maintained in the new country, which entered a period historically called Florean domination, for the power of General Juan José Flores.
The first flag was the same as that of Gran Colombia, but with changes to the shield. First, a blue background was added, in addition to the inscription EL ECUADOR EN COLOMBIA. In the upper part a sun was added that represented the equatorial line.
In 1833, the shield of Ecuador changed. Actually, in that year, a shield was created for the country that did not depend on the previous one of Gran Colombia. However, in 1835 all shield was removed from the flag, leaving it again as a tricolor flag without additional symbols. This coincided with the change of the country's name to the Republic of Ecuador.
The regime of Juan José Flores faced a notorious discontent among the Ecuadorian population, which saw in its constitution the consummation of its perpetuation in power.
This nuisance was consummated through an armed military movement in 1845, which was the first that Ecuador experienced in its independent history..
The former leader of the Free Province of Guayaquil, José Joaquín de Olmedo, along with other men of society led the so-called Marcista Revolution. This was an event that took place in Guayaquil on March 6, 1845. Its result was the victory of the insurgents, for which President Juan José Flores went into exile.
In the Marcist era, the colors of the Free Province of Guayaquil were recovered in terms of symbols. The flag of Ecuador was divided into three vertical stripes.
The two of the ends were white, while the central one was light blue with three white stars. Each of them represented the provinces of Quito, Guayaquil and Cuenca..
This symbol was modified very quickly, since on November 6 of the same year several stars were added to it. In total, seven stars were configured in the central celestial strip.
His representation was related to the then provinces of Ecuador: Azuay, Chimborazo, Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Manabí and Pichincha.
The political and social climate in Ecuador continued to turn turbulent. Francisco Robles García was the fourth president of the Marcist era and the first elected in census elections.
Conflicts with Peru increased and this country ordered the blockade of Ecuadorian ports. Robles moved the government to Guayaquil and was arrested, although he was quickly released.
Since then, Robles lost control over the entire Ecuadorian territory. In Quito, General Gabriel García Moreno had formed a new government. Although he was defeated at first, on September 24, 1860, García Moreno triumphed in the Battle of Guayaquil and conquered national political power..
From this date the period called the Garciana era began. Quickly, on September 26, García Moreno ordered the restoration of the Gran Colombian tricolor as the Ecuadorian flag.
In the approving decree, Moreno affirmed that the white and blue flag had been stained by treason. For this reason, the tricolor pavilion was retaken, which represented the heroes of independence..
The flag was ratified through the 1861 Convention. The biggest difference with the previous Gran Colombia flag is that it should have the yellow stripe in double proportion..
Beyond the decree of 1861, no regulations established the use and specifications of the flag. Colombia had adopted an identical flag to the Ecuadorian in 1861, so the shield began to be a distinctive symbol in the flag of Ecuador..
On October 31, 1900, the Congress of the Republic of Ecuador approved the decree that regulated the national flag and the arms of the Republic.
In its article 3 it was established that the flags used in public institutions and warships must bear the national coat of arms. This situation was normalized for all areas of public life.
The Ecuadorian flag has specific representations for each color of which it is composed. These are also shared by their neighbors Colombia and Venezuela, having the same origin and roots..
To begin with, the yellow color is one that is related to the wealth of the country. In addition, it is also directly identified with the sun and gold.
Blue, on the other hand, has marine significance. This color is related to the waters of the Pacific Ocean that bathe the Ecuadorian coast. In addition, it is related to the sky of the country.
Finally, red, as is customary in national flags, represents the blood shed by the liberators to achieve the independence and freedom of the country..
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