Between the protectorate and the Republic of the Sacred Heart: García’s Ecuador, 1860-1875

This article analyzes the political project undertaken by García Moreno in Ecuador following the failure of his offer to make the country a protectorate of Napoleonic France (1859-1862), questioning the true meaning of “monarchism” among the preferred forms of government for the purposes of nation building in Latin America. Supported by letters, transcripts of debates, newspaper archives and other sources, this article traces the construction of this project from its initial discouragements to its final nationalistic appeal. It demonstrates how these conservative Ecuadorians handled the circumstances they faced, their fighting spirit and their ability to adapt and regroup under new and changing parameters