The story
Guayaquil Independence Festival in Guayaquil
Guayaquil observes October 9 as the anniversary of its 1820 declaration of independence from Spain, led by Jose Joaquin de Olmedo, the first such break in what is now Ecuador and a spark for the wider independence movement completed at the 1822 Battle of Pichincha. Expect civic-military parades, official ceremonies and evening events along the Malecon waterfront, distinct from the city's separate July founding celebration.
On October 9, 1820, a group of Guayaquil residents led by the poet and civic leader Jose Joaquin de Olmedo declared independence from Spanish colonial rule, making Guayaquil the first city in what would become Ecuador to break away and setting off a chain of uprisings that spread through the highlands over the following two years.