The blockade of Guayaquil and the geostrategic interests of Spain in the South-American Pacific (1858-1861)

Abstract

The objective of this article is to analyse the negotiating role that the Spanish diplomacy played between de Peruvian squadron and the authorities of Guayaquil during the blockade of the city and the following months, between 1858 and 1860. Focusing in this short but convulsed time we will try to understand the stance of Spain towards the Peruvian attempt to create a satellite state in Ecuador. Using sources form the Foreign Affairs collection of the Archivo Histórico Nacional, the Alfredo Pareja Diezcanseco historical archive, the Archivo Central del Ministerio de Exteriores of Peru and the Hemeroteca Nacional of Spain, we can approach the interplay of intersecting interests that marked the evolution of the South American Pacific in the central decades of the nineteenth century. Through the intersection of government actions and public opinion, international aspirations of Spain for Ecuador can be seen in a context of serious internal conflict.