Loyalist, Absolutist and Anti-Liberal Expressions

Quito 1809-1822

Abstract

This article studies the diversity of manifestations and political proposals of the counter-revolution in the Audiencia of Quito between 1809 and 1822. It shows that the responses to the revolution were diverse and changed according to the contexts, with a great capacity for social mobilisation. The initial unity in the face of the 1808 crisis soon broke down to give way to a fragmented political scenario. With their internal tensions, Quito’s royalists faced the challenges posed by the insurgency and Cadiz liberalism. The indigenous elite were also critical of the 1812 Constitution for maintaining their old privileges. The stability heralded by the absolutist restoration of Ferdinand VII was only a passing mirage. Henceforth, the Spanish revolution of 1820 constituted a new challenge that some faced by taking the pro-independence option.