Eloy Alfaro
Encyclopedia
José Eloy Alfaro Delgado (June 25, 1842 – January 28, 1912) was the President of Ecuador
from 1895 to 1901 and from 1906 to 1911. He became one the strongest opponents of pro-Catholic conservative President Gabriel Garcia Moreno
. For his central role in the Liberal Revolution of 1895
and for having fought conservatism for almost 30 years, he is known as the Viejo Luchador.
His major legacies are considered to be national unity, and the integrity of Ecuador's borders; the increased secularization of the country; and the modernization of Ecuadorian society through the introduction of new ideas, education, and systems of public transport and communication. He completed the engineering feat of the Transandino railway linking Guayaquil
with Quito. The Ecuadorian Army's military college bears his name, as does the flagship of the Ecuadorian Navy
. His efigie is depicted on the ecuadorian 50-cents coin since the 2000 issue.
) on the 25th of June, 1842. His father was don Manuel Alfaro y González, Spanish Republican native of Cervera del Rio Alhama, Rioja, Spain
who arrived in Ecuador as a political exile; his mother was doña María Natividad Delgado López.
Don José Eloy received his primary education in his place of birth. After graduation he dedicated himself to helping his father with his business negotiations. During his youth he aligned himself with anticlerical liberalism, a doctrine later embodied in the Ecuadorian Radical Liberal Party
. He fought against Presidents García Moreno, Borrero, Veintemilla and Camaño, and as a result he is traditionally known as the "Viejo Luchador" (Old Warrior) or "General de las Derrotas" (General of Defeats). Eloy Alfaro experienced many serious difficulties in the various campaigns he initiated with the end of combating tyranny. He spent his fortune, acquired with the help of his Panamanian wife, Ana Paredes Arosemena, in those battles . Nine children where born of their marriage: Bolívar, Esmeraldas, Colombia, Colón, Bolívar(2), Ana María, América, Olmedo, and Colón Eloy; Rafael was born out of wedlock.
From a very young age he participated in acts of rebellion. He almost lost his life in the disastrous naval battle of Alajuela when he tried to disembark in Ecuador with a troop of revolutionaries and was defeated by Conservative Government forces. When his ship sank, he saved himself from drowning by clinging to a barrel. He participated in the battles of Montecristi, San Mateo, Esmeraldas
, Guayaquil
, Jaramijó, Gatazo, Cuenca
, and Chasqui.
Eloy Alfaro was a model father and was magnanimous with friends and the destitute. He also supported various liberals, such as the writer Juan Montalvo
, to whom he offered monetary assistance. Once in power, he glorified the memory of Montalvo as a great teacher and an example to the Ecuadorian people. Even though Alfaro was not very well-educated, through force of character he was able to overcome this lack and impress others with his clear intelligence. During his exile, he travelled Central America and was granted the rank of "General de División" by the Nicaraguan Congress.
Alfaro, head of the Radical Liberals
, was the leader of the Ecuadorian Liberal Revolution
, a coup d'état
he waged from his youth in the 1860s until 1895 when the liberals
finally took power. In this uprising, he deposed President Vicente Lucio Salazar
and declared himself anticlerical dictator on June 5, 1895 and was later named constitutional president from January 17, 1897 until September 1, 1901. The principal accomplishment of his first government was the introduction of the principle of secularism
. Although many of the public buildings in Quito including the Mejia
high school and the original building of the first Polytechnic institut were commitioned in his administration to French architects.
After initially supporting, but later coming to oppose, his successor, in 1906 he led another revolt, deposing elected President Lizardo Garcia
, being declared supreme dictator by the army and continuing in office until August 12, 1911. During this second presidency he enacted a number of changes, among them freedom of speech
and the legalization of civil marriage
and divorce. He constructed numerous public schools and inaugurated the right to a free and secular education. What is considered to be his greatest public work during this period was the completion of the Ferrocarril Transandino (Trans-Andean Railroad) connecting Guayaquil
to Quito
. He was a Freemason
and consistent with his anticlericalism, he suppressed the influence of the Catholic Church while in office. He seized much property of the Church, expelled religious orders and prohibited the establishment of any new monasteries or convents. His attempts to secularize Ecuadorian society were opposed by the Archbishop of Quito Federico González Suárez
.
In 1911, he was removed from office by his former supporters.
In 1911 he tried to strike a blow at the State in an attempt to return to power. He was captured near Guayaquil and sent to Quito on the railroad he had constructed. After he left office, during the administration of Emilio Estrada
Carmona, Alfaro was severely critical of the government and his followers soon began to organize a series of military insurrections. Alfaro was exiled to Panama during the interim government of Carlos Freile Zaldumbide
. He returned to Ecuador on January 4, 1912 and attempted another coup but was defeated, arrested and jailed by General Leonidas Plaza
.
On January 28, 1912, a group of pro-Catholic soldiers whose motto was "Viva la religión y mueran los masones" (Long live religion and death to the Freemasons), supported by a mob broke into the prison where Alfaro and his colleagues were detained, and dragged them along the cobbled streets of the city center. They were all dead when the horde arrived to the explanade of El Ejido (city gardens). in the Northern outskirts of town, finally burning the corpses in what became El Ejido
public park. Today a monument marks the site.
Days later, Alfaro's remains were buried in Quito, in secret, and later transported to Guayaquil where they were deposited in a mausoleum sometime in the 1940s. By an initiative of President Rafael Correa
, part of the ashes of Eloy Alfaro were exhumed and reinterred with honors in the city of Monticristi, seat of the 2008 National Constitutional Convention.
In the popular imagination, the name Alfaro is synonymous with rebellion.
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
from 1895 to 1901 and from 1906 to 1911. He became one the strongest opponents of pro-Catholic conservative President Gabriel Garcia Moreno
Gabriel García Moreno
Gabriel Gregorio Fernando José María García y Moreno y Morán de Buitrón was an Ecuadorian statesman who twice served as President of Ecuador and was assassinated during his second term, after being elected to a third term...
. For his central role in the Liberal Revolution of 1895
Liberal Revolution of 1895
The Liberal Revolution of 1895 took place in Ecuador, and was a period of radical social and political upheaval. The Revolution started on June 5 1895 and ultimately resulted in the overthrow of the conservative government, which had ruled Ecuador for several decades, by the Radical Liberals, led...
and for having fought conservatism for almost 30 years, he is known as the Viejo Luchador.
His major legacies are considered to be national unity, and the integrity of Ecuador's borders; the increased secularization of the country; and the modernization of Ecuadorian society through the introduction of new ideas, education, and systems of public transport and communication. He completed the engineering feat of the Transandino railway linking Guayaquil
Guayaquil
Guayaquil , officially Santiago de Guayaquil , is the largest and the most populous city in Ecuador,with about 2.3 million inhabitants in the city and nearly 3.1 million in the metropolitan area, as well as that nation's main port...
with Quito. The Ecuadorian Army's military college bears his name, as does the flagship of the Ecuadorian Navy
Ecuadorian Navy
The Ecuadorian Navy is responsible for the surveillance and protection of national maritime territory and has a personnel of 7,258 men to protect a coastline of 2,237 km which reaches far into the Pacific Ocean...
. His efigie is depicted on the ecuadorian 50-cents coin since the 2000 issue.
Biography
Don José Eloy Alfaro Delgado was born in Montecristi, (ManabiManabí
Word Manabí can refer to:* Manabí Province in Ecuador* Manabí * The manga and anime series Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight! or the nickname of its main character Manami Amamiya....
) on the 25th of June, 1842. His father was don Manuel Alfaro y González, Spanish Republican native of Cervera del Rio Alhama, Rioja, Spain
Rioja, Spain
-External links: - Sistema de Información Multiterritorial de Andalucía - Diputación Provincial de Almería...
who arrived in Ecuador as a political exile; his mother was doña María Natividad Delgado López.
Don José Eloy received his primary education in his place of birth. After graduation he dedicated himself to helping his father with his business negotiations. During his youth he aligned himself with anticlerical liberalism, a doctrine later embodied in the Ecuadorian Radical Liberal Party
Ecuadorian Radical Liberal Party
The Ecuadorian Radical Liberal Party is a liberal party in Ecuador and the oldest existing political party in Ecuador....
. He fought against Presidents García Moreno, Borrero, Veintemilla and Camaño, and as a result he is traditionally known as the "Viejo Luchador" (Old Warrior) or "General de las Derrotas" (General of Defeats). Eloy Alfaro experienced many serious difficulties in the various campaigns he initiated with the end of combating tyranny. He spent his fortune, acquired with the help of his Panamanian wife, Ana Paredes Arosemena, in those battles . Nine children where born of their marriage: Bolívar, Esmeraldas, Colombia, Colón, Bolívar(2), Ana María, América, Olmedo, and Colón Eloy; Rafael was born out of wedlock.
From a very young age he participated in acts of rebellion. He almost lost his life in the disastrous naval battle of Alajuela when he tried to disembark in Ecuador with a troop of revolutionaries and was defeated by Conservative Government forces. When his ship sank, he saved himself from drowning by clinging to a barrel. He participated in the battles of Montecristi, San Mateo, Esmeraldas
Esmeraldas
Esmeraldas is the Spanish word for 'emeralds'. It is a toponym that may refer to the following:*Brazil**Esmeraldas, Minas Gerais*Ecuador**Esmeraldas, Ecuador**Esmeraldas River**Esmeraldas Province**Esmeraldas Canton*Special:Allpages/Esmeraldas...
, Guayaquil
Guayaquil
Guayaquil , officially Santiago de Guayaquil , is the largest and the most populous city in Ecuador,with about 2.3 million inhabitants in the city and nearly 3.1 million in the metropolitan area, as well as that nation's main port...
, Jaramijó, Gatazo, Cuenca
Cuenca, Spain
-History:When the Iberian peninsula was part of the Roman Empire there were several important settlements in the province, such as Segóbriga, Ercávica and Gran Valeria...
, and Chasqui.
Eloy Alfaro was a model father and was magnanimous with friends and the destitute. He also supported various liberals, such as the writer Juan Montalvo
Juan Montalvo
Juan María Montalvo Fiallos was an Ecuadorian author and essayist.Born in Ambato to José Marcos Montalvo and Josefa Fiallos, he studied philosophy and law in Quito before returning to his hometown in 1854. He held diplomatic posts in Italy and France from 1857 to 1859...
, to whom he offered monetary assistance. Once in power, he glorified the memory of Montalvo as a great teacher and an example to the Ecuadorian people. Even though Alfaro was not very well-educated, through force of character he was able to overcome this lack and impress others with his clear intelligence. During his exile, he travelled Central America and was granted the rank of "General de División" by the Nicaraguan Congress.
Alfaro, head of the Radical Liberals
Ecuadorian Radical Liberal Party
The Ecuadorian Radical Liberal Party is a liberal party in Ecuador and the oldest existing political party in Ecuador....
, was the leader of the Ecuadorian Liberal Revolution
Liberal Revolution of 1895
The Liberal Revolution of 1895 took place in Ecuador, and was a period of radical social and political upheaval. The Revolution started on June 5 1895 and ultimately resulted in the overthrow of the conservative government, which had ruled Ecuador for several decades, by the Radical Liberals, led...
, a coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
he waged from his youth in the 1860s until 1895 when the liberals
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
finally took power. In this uprising, he deposed President Vicente Lucio Salazar
Vicente Lucio Salazar
Vicente Lucio Salazar was President of Ecuador between 16 April 1895 and 1 September 1895.He became Vice President in 1894, and became President when Luis Cordero left office.-External links:*...
and declared himself anticlerical dictator on June 5, 1895 and was later named constitutional president from January 17, 1897 until September 1, 1901. The principal accomplishment of his first government was the introduction of the principle of secularism
Secularism
Secularism is the principle of separation between government institutions and the persons mandated to represent the State from religious institutions and religious dignitaries...
. Although many of the public buildings in Quito including the Mejia
Mejia
Mejia is an administrative division in Bankura Sadar subdivision of Bankura district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Mejia police station serves this block. Headquarters of this block is at Mejia.Government of West Bengal has planned a Special Economic Zone in Saltora. It is on NH 60...
high school and the original building of the first Polytechnic institut were commitioned in his administration to French architects.
After initially supporting, but later coming to oppose, his successor, in 1906 he led another revolt, deposing elected President Lizardo Garcia
Lizardo García
Lizardo García Sorroza was President of Ecuador from 1 September 1905 to 15 January 1906.- Life:García was born in Guayaquil on the 26 April 1844...
, being declared supreme dictator by the army and continuing in office until August 12, 1911. During this second presidency he enacted a number of changes, among them freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
and the legalization of civil marriage
Civil marriage
Civil marriage is marriage performed by a government official and not a religious organization.-History:Every country maintaining a population registry of its residents keeps track of marital status, and most countries believe that it is their responsibility to register married couples. Most...
and divorce. He constructed numerous public schools and inaugurated the right to a free and secular education. What is considered to be his greatest public work during this period was the completion of the Ferrocarril Transandino (Trans-Andean Railroad) connecting Guayaquil
Guayaquil
Guayaquil , officially Santiago de Guayaquil , is the largest and the most populous city in Ecuador,with about 2.3 million inhabitants in the city and nearly 3.1 million in the metropolitan area, as well as that nation's main port...
to Quito
Quito
San Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito , is the capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains...
. He was a Freemason
Anticlericalism and Freemasonry
The question of whether Freemasonry is Anticlerical is the subject of debate. The Catholic Church has long been an outspoken critic of Freemasonry, and Catholic scholars have often accused the fraternity of anticlericalism. The Catholic Church forbids its members to join any masonic society under...
and consistent with his anticlericalism, he suppressed the influence of the Catholic Church while in office. He seized much property of the Church, expelled religious orders and prohibited the establishment of any new monasteries or convents. His attempts to secularize Ecuadorian society were opposed by the Archbishop of Quito Federico González Suárez
Federico González Suárez
Federico González Suárez was an Ecuadorian priest, historian and politician who served as the Archbishop of Quito for twelve years. Prior to becoming the Archbishop of Quito, he served as a senator in the Ecuadorian government in 1894 and then as the Bishop of Ibarra from 1895 to 1905...
.
In 1911, he was removed from office by his former supporters.
In 1911 he tried to strike a blow at the State in an attempt to return to power. He was captured near Guayaquil and sent to Quito on the railroad he had constructed. After he left office, during the administration of Emilio Estrada
Emilio Estrada
Emilio Estrada Carmona was President of Ecuador September 1-December 21, 1911....
Carmona, Alfaro was severely critical of the government and his followers soon began to organize a series of military insurrections. Alfaro was exiled to Panama during the interim government of Carlos Freile Zaldumbide
Carlos Freile Zaldumbide
Carlos Freile Zaldumbide was an Ecuadorian politician, who served twice as acting President of Ecuador and one term as Vice President of Ecuador.A whealty landowner that pioneered Holstein livestock raising in Ecuador....
. He returned to Ecuador on January 4, 1912 and attempted another coup but was defeated, arrested and jailed by General Leonidas Plaza
Leónidas Plaza
Leónidas Plaza Gutiérrez was an Ecuadorian political figure. He served as the President of Ecuador between 1901 and 1905 and again from 1912 until 1916. He was the father of Galo Plaza Lasso.-External links:*...
.
On January 28, 1912, a group of pro-Catholic soldiers whose motto was "Viva la religión y mueran los masones" (Long live religion and death to the Freemasons), supported by a mob broke into the prison where Alfaro and his colleagues were detained, and dragged them along the cobbled streets of the city center. They were all dead when the horde arrived to the explanade of El Ejido (city gardens). in the Northern outskirts of town, finally burning the corpses in what became El Ejido
El Ejido
-External links: - Sistema de Información Multiterritorial de Andalucía...
public park. Today a monument marks the site.
Days later, Alfaro's remains were buried in Quito, in secret, and later transported to Guayaquil where they were deposited in a mausoleum sometime in the 1940s. By an initiative of President Rafael Correa
Rafael Correa
Rafael Vicente Correa Delgado born is the President of the Republic of Ecuador and was the president pro tempore of the Union of South American Nations. An economist educated in Ecuador, Belgium and the United States, he was elected President in late 2006 and took office in January 2007...
, part of the ashes of Eloy Alfaro were exhumed and reinterred with honors in the city of Monticristi, seat of the 2008 National Constitutional Convention.
In the popular imagination, the name Alfaro is synonymous with rebellion.