“Cuatro potencias enemigas… queriéndose dominar”.

El régimen de intendencias de Colombia en el Distrito del Sur (1822-1830)

Abstract

This article examines how the Intendancies regime in Colombia and the Territorial Division Act of 1824 were enforced in the Southern District (now Ecuador). The analysis allows to understand the tensions derived from the application of the republican structure in the jurisdictions of the largest urban municipalities in the country. Through territorial fragmentation produced by the imperial crisis between 1809 and 1820, by adding minor municipal sovereignties, various forms of political representation were able to achieve legitimacy thus consolidating the territorial scope of their dominance. Seeking to dismantle these hegemonies, the republic emphasized on its departmentalization. The scenarios for these transformations were political representation and elections, territorial administration, justice and taxation.

Keywords: Republic of Colombia, Southern District, Quito, territorial division, Intendancies regime, municipalities.