La Constitución ecuatoriana de 1861: el debate

Abstract

The article analyzes the process of drafting the Constitution of 1861, its major innovations and controversies. The 1861 Constitution extended the franchise and changed the territorial administrative structure replacing Ecuador’s “departamentos” geographical division into provinces. It also reviews the regional impacts that produced the new administrative structure. Moreover, the study makes a description of the circumstances in which Gabriel García Moreno ascended to the presidency of Ecuador and the disagreements over individual liberties, economic policies and relations between the Catholic Church and State