Ecuador–Spain relations are the current and historical relations between Ecuador and Spain. Both nations are members of the

Association of Academies of the Spanish Language The Association of Academies of the Spanish Language ( es, Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española, ASALE) is an entity whose end is to work for the unity, integrity, and growth of the Spanish language. It was created in Mexico in 1951 an ...

and the

Organization of Ibero-American States The Organization of Ibero-American States ( es, Organización de Estados Iberoamericanos, pt, Organização de Estados Iberoamericanos, ca, Organització d'Estats Iberoamericans; abbreviated as OEI), formally the Organization of Ibero-American ...

History

Spanish colonization

Ecuador and Spain share a long history since the arrival of the first Spanish conquistadores led by

Francisco Pizarro Francisco Pizarro González, Marquess of the Atabillos (; ; – 26 June 1541) was a Spanish conquistador, best known for his expeditions that led to the Spanish conquest of Peru. Born in Trujillo, Spain to a poor family, Pizarro chose ...

in 1532. By 1534, Pizarro managed to overcome the

Incan Empire The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, (Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts", "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The admin ...

(which extended from present day Ecuador,

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

and

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

) and claimed the territory for Spain. In 1534, Spanish troops battled against General Rumiñahui and his army during the

Battle of Mount Chimborazo Prelude In November 1532 Atahualpa, the king of the Inca Empire, had just had won a long civil war against his brother Huáscar and was on his way from the Northern city of Quito to the capital Cuzco. But in Cajamarca Cajamarca (), also kn ...

in central Ecuador after Rumiñahui discovered the Spanish treachery and the murder of his half-brother Emperor

Atahualpa Atahualpa (), also Atawallpa (Quechua), Atabalica, Atahuallpa, Atabalipa (c. 1502 – 26-29 July 1533) was the last Inca Emperor. After defeating his brother, Atahualpa became very briefly the last Sapa Inca (sovereign emperor) of the Inca Empir ...

. Rumiñahui burned down the secondary Inca capital (near present-day

Quito Quito (; qu, Kitu), formally San Francisco de Quito, is the capital and largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its urban area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha. Quito is located in a valley o ...

) and hid the

Treasure of the Llanganatis The Treasure of the Llanganates refers to a huge amount of gold, silver, platinum and electrum artifacts, as well as other treasures, supposedly hidden deep within the Llanganates mountain range of Ecuador by the Inca general Rumiñahui. Histo ...

before the battle. In 1534, Spanish conquistadores,

Sebastián de Belalcázar Sebastián de Belalcázar (; 1479/1480 – 1551) was a Spanish conquistador. De Belalcázar, also written as de Benalcázar, is known as the founder of important early colonial cities in the northwestern part of South America; Quito in 1534 and Ca ...

and

Diego de Almagro Diego de Almagro (; – July 8, 1538), also known as El Adelantado and El Viejo, was a Spanish conquistador known for his exploits in western South America. He participated with Francisco Pizarro in the Spanish conquest of Peru. While sub ...

founded the city of ''San Francisco de Quito'' in honor of Francisco Pizarro which was built on top of the ruins of the secondary Inca capital. In 1542, the

Viceroyalty of Peru The Viceroyalty of Peru ( es, Virreinato del Perú, links=no) was a Spanish imperial provincial administrative district, created in 1542, that originally contained modern-day Peru and most of the Spanish Empire in South America, governed from ...

was created and the territory of Ecuador was governed from its capital in Lima and administered through the

Real Audiencia of Quito The of Quito (sometimes referred to as or ) was an administrative unit in the Spanish Empire which had political, military, and religious jurisdiction over territories that today include Ecuador, parts of northern Peru, parts of southern Col ...

. In 1717, the Viceroyalty of New Granada was created with its capital in

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...

and Ecuador was governed under the new viceroyalty.

Independence

On 10 August 1809, Ecuador was the first country in Spanish America to declare independence soon after

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

’s invasion of Spain in 1808.Encyclopedia Britannica: Ecuador
/ref> The independence movement became known as the ''Luz de América''. Immediately, the criollo rebels of Ecuador lacked the anticipated support for their cause and they returned power back to the crown authorities who became brutal and punished the rebels severely. In 1822, armies led by

Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24 July 1783 – 17 December 1830) was a Venezuelan military and political leader who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama and B ...

and Antonio José de Sucre arrived to Ecuador and fought Spanish troops at the

Battle of Pichincha The Battle of Pichincha took place on 24 May 1822, on the slopes of the Pichincha volcano, 3,500 meters above sea-level, right next to the city of Quito, in modern Ecuador. The encounter, fought in the context of the Spanish American wars of in ...

near Quito which secured Ecuador's independence. Ecuador soon became part of the Gran Colombia along with

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

, Venezuela and Panama. Ecuador became an independent nation in May 1830.

Post independence

In 1840, Ecuador and Spain established diplomatic relations with the signing of a ''Treaty of Peace and Friendship'' between both nations.Ruptura y Reconciliación. España y el Reconocimiento de las Independencias Latinoamericanas (in Spanish)
/ref> In 1866, Ecuador declared war against Spain during the Chincha Islands War which also involved Bolivia, Chile and Peru. In 1936, Ecuadorian writer

Demetrio Aguilera Malta Demetrio Aguilera Malta (Guayaquil, May 24, 1909 – México D.F., December 29, 1981) was an Ecuadorian writer, director, painter, and diplomat. He was a member of the Guayaquil Group of the 1930s, who used social realism in their writings. He us ...

(member of the Guayaquil Group) was in Spain when the Spanish Civil War broke out. Aguilera wrote about his experience during the war in his book titled ''Madrid: reportaje novelado de una retaguardia heroica''. In May 1980, Spanish King

Juan Carlos I Juan Carlos I (;, * ca, Joan Carles I, * gl, Xoán Carlos I, Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 Novem ...

paid an official visit to Ecuador, his first and only visit to the country.

Migration

In 2013, there were 456,000 Ecuadorian citizens living in Spain.Ecuador: From Mass Emigration to Return Migration?
/ref> Many of the Ecuadorians in Spain arrived in the 1990s during the Ecuador financial crisis which led to the country adopting the U.S. dollar. In 2013, 21,000 Spanish citizens resided in Ecuador. Between 2008 and 2015, 35,000 Spanish citizens arrived to Ecuador of which 36% were born in Spain and 62% were Spanish citizens of Ecuadorian origin.

Bilateral relations

Over the years, several agreements and treaties have been signed by both nations such as an Agreement on Dual-Citizenship (1964); Agreement on Technical Cooperation (1971); Tourism Agreement (1971); Air Transportation Agreement (1974); Agreement on Cultural Cooperation (1974); Agreement on Atomic Energy Cooperation for Peaceful Purposes (1977); Extradition Treaty (1989); Agreement on the avoidance of Double-Taxation (1991); Agreement on Migration (2001); Agreement on the Recognition of Driver's License's issued by both nations (2003) and an Agreement on the participation of citizens who legally reside in either Ecuador or Spain to participate in local elections (2009).Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Ecuador (in Spanish)
/ref>

Transportation

There are direct flights between both nations with Air Europa and Iberia.

Trade

In 2017, trade between Ecuador and Spain totaled €256 million Euros. Ecuador's main exports to Spain include: canned tuna, shrimp, flowers, frozen fish and bananas. Spain's main exports to Ecuador include: capital goods and industrial inputs; frozen fish and consumer goods. In 2016, Spanish investments in Ecuador totaled US$626 million. Spanish multinational companies such as Repsol, Mapfre and Telefónica operate in Ecuador.

Resident diplomatic missions

* Ecuador has an embassy in Madrid and consulates-general in

Alicante Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in th ...

, Barcelona,

Málaga Málaga (, ) is a municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 578,460 in 2020, it is the second-most populous city in Andalusia after Seville and the sixth most pop ...

, Murcia,

Palma de Mallorca Palma (; ; also known as ''Palma de Mallorca'', officially between 1983–88, 2006–08, and 2012–16) is the capital and largest city of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is situate ...

and Valencia. * Spain has an embassy in

and a consulate-general in Guayaquil. File:Madrid - Embajada de Ecuador (Calle Velázquez, 114) 1.jpg, Embassy of Ecuador in Madrid File:Carrer Nàpols, 187 - BCN.jpg, Consulate-General of Ecuador in Barcelona

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ecuador-Spain Spain Bilateral relations of Spain Relations of colonizer and former colony