The National Ecuadorian Exposition was a world's fair held in

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 ...

in 1909 to mark 100 years since the start of the

campaign Campaign or The Campaign may refer to: Types of campaigns * Campaign, in agriculture, the period during which sugar beets are harvested and processed * Advertising campaign, a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme * B ...

for Ecuadorian independence from Spain. The Palace of the Exhibition was formally opened on 10 August 1909 to mark 100 years since the "First Cry for Independence". The fair opened on 8 September.

Participating countries

Countries that presented included Chile, Colombia, France, Japan, Spain, Italy, Peru and the USA. Ecuador's own pavilion was made from reinforced concrete, two stories tall with a 30 metre dome. On top of the dome there was a statue of an Andean condor with outstretched wings. The Japanese pavilion was made from Guayaquil wood, and was painted red and white. The United States pavilion was designed by in the style of the White House.

Prizes

Prizes were awarded on 28 September 1909, with winners including the cognac manufacturer

Fromy, Rogée & Co Fromy, Rogée & Co (French: ''Fromy, Rogée et Cie'') was a cognac manufacturer based in Saint-Jean-d'Angély, Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France. History The company was founded in 1815 by François Fromy. His son Frédéric an ...

, presidents of all participating countries, and Eloy Alfaro the 'protector' of the exhibition.

Legacy

The Chilean pavilion was given to the National Conservatory of Music, the Colombia pavilion to the city, the American pavilion, to the Military Committee. the Italian pavilion to the Ladies Committee, and an Art Nouveau style cafe became the home of the

Ministry of National Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in stat ...

in 1937. A Japanese kiosk was given to the commerce of Quito and Eloy Alfaro gave the Japanese pavilion to the newly formed Sociedad Geografica de Quito (SGQ).

References

{{List of world's fairs in South America Buildings and structures completed in 1909 1909 disestablishments 1909 establishments in South America 1909 in Ecuador World's fairs in South America