The Battle of Guayaquil ended Ecuador's factional civil war of 1859–1860 and brought García Moreno to power, inaugurating decades of Conservative rule.
Key Facts
- Battle dates
- September 22–24, 1860
- Rifles supplied to Franco by Peru
- 3,000 rifles
- Peruvian withdrawal date
- February 19, 1860
- Treaty of Mapasingue annulled (Ecuador)
- 1861
- Conservative era duration after battle
- Approximately 35 years, until 1895
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following President Francisco Robles's resignation on May 1, 1859, Ecuador fragmented into competing factions. Gabriel García Moreno formed a provisional government in Quito while General Guillermo Franco declared himself Supreme Chief of Guayas. Peru's President Castilla exploited the vacuum, blockading the Gulf of Guayaquil and signing the Treaty of Mapasingue with Franco, ceding disputed territories to Peru and supplying Franco's forces with arms.
García Moreno, allied with former adversary General Juan José Flores, launched a military campaign against Franco's Peruvian-backed government, accusing Franco of treason. After a series of battles forced Franco's troops back to Guayaquil, the decisive confrontation took place on the city's outskirts from September 22 to 24, 1860. García Moreno's forces defeated Franco, ending the factional conflict known as Ecuador's 'terrible year.'
García Moreno's victory unified Ecuador under his Provisional Government and ended the period of fragmented rule. The Treaty of Mapasingue was annulled by the Ecuadorian Congress in 1861 and the Peruvian Congress in 1863. García Moreno ushered in an era of Conservative, authoritarian governance that persisted beyond his own life until 1895, reshaping Ecuador's political character for decades.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Gabriel García Moreno, General Juan José Flores.
Side B
1 belligerent
General Guillermo Franco.