El Oro Province
El Oro is a province that makes up the Republic of Ecuador, located in the south of the country, in the geographical area known as the littoral region or coast. Its administrative capital is the city of Machala, which is also the largest and most populated city. It occupies a territory of about 5879 km², which makes it the seventeenth province of the country by extension. It limits to the north with Guayas, to the south and east with Loja, to the northeast with Azuay, and to the west with the province of Zarumilla, Peru.
715,751 people live in the Orense territory, according to INEC's demographic projection for 2020, which makes it the sixth most populous province in the country. The province of El Oro is made up of 14 cantons, from which their respective urban and rural parishes are derived. According to the latest territorial regulation, the province of El Oro will belong to a region also included by the provinces of Loja and Zamora Chinchipe, although it is not officially formed, called the South Region.
The province is one of the most important administrative, economic, financial and commercial centers of Ecuador. The main activities of the province are trade, livestock, industry and agriculture. Its rich region generates a large trade based on agricultural production, centered on the cultivation of shrimp, rice, bananas, coffee and cocoa. Puerto Bolívar, to the southwest, is the most important banana exporting port in Ecuador and therefore, Machala is also known as the "banana capital of the world", because the activity of the city and the province revolves around the export of bananas.
In the province there were different migratory periods such as the Tumbecinos and Punáes. Later, it was conquered by the Incas under the command of Túpac Yupanqui. The Spanish colonization occurred in 1537, according to Torres de Mendoza, when the Spanish discovered the town of Los Machalas. During that period, the maximum and precursor entity of the province would be the Possession of the Puná Island. After the independence war and the annexation of Ecuador to Greater Colombia, the Province of Guayaquil was created on June 25, 1824, in which the current Orense territory was located within its limits. On April 23, 1884, the fourteenth province of the country was created: the province of El Oro.
History
Colonial period
Some Spanish adventurers left for Puná after founding Guayaquil, they arrived at Balao and then at the mouth of the Jubones River; In 1537, according to Torres de Mendoza, the Spanish discovered the town of the Machalas, which could have been in Guarumal, to the south of the city. Machala did not have a Spanish foundation and was only a transit site. In 1758, land was given to the Machalas to make their town, where the San Jacinto neighborhood is currently located. The indigenous Ambrosio Gumal was the first Governor; in 1763 he definitively handed over the lands to the Machalas. Years later, Machala was promoted to Tenure, during the governorship of Cacique Julián Belitama.
Independence and Greater Colombia
In 1820, Machala joined the Guayaquil independence movement, having himself represented with a star on the Flag of Guayaquil. In 1822, the creation of the province of Tomalá was attempted, formed by the cantons, including Machala with its parishes: Puná, Balao and Naranjal; the capital should be Santa Elena. Machala was declared a canton of the Province of Guayas, which in turn was part of the Department of Guayaquil on June 25, 1824 by means of the Law of Territorial Division of Greater Colombia. In 1829, some Machaleños joined Sucre's army and fought in the Battle of Portete de Tarqui.
Florean Period
As in previous times, Machala supported every Guayaquil decision, in 1830 he supported Guayaquil, which, after many false promises by Juan José Flores, wanted the independence of Colombia. Years later, Machala supported the revolutionary leader Vicente Rocafuerte, who was trying to overthrow Flores in Guayaquil; an act that was reconfirmed on March 6, 1845. And some time later, Machala supported Urbina to put an end to Flores; Therefore, on July 11, 1852, the town of Machala fought a battle in Barbones, against the troops of Flores, definitively defeating Flores and putting an end to floreanismo.
Battle of the Wagon
Faced with national discontent over the so-called Sale of the Flag, the then Colonel Manuel Serrano Renda revolted in El Guabo on May 2, 1895, with the support of a volunteer army of liberal revolutionaries, also taking the cities of Pasaje and Santa Rosa. Lacking the capture of the city of Machala to consolidate, the liberal revolutionaries learned of the arrival of artillery reinforcements that would prevent them from taking said city; then, Colonel Serrano ordered his forces to go from El Guabo to Santa Rosa and from there to Machala.
On May 8 there was little friction, but the next day there was an atmosphere of combat. On May 9, Dr. Juan Borja Mata, Elías Puyano, Federico Irigoyen, and others led the assault on the wagon, in which forces loyal to Vicente Lucio Salazar carried a Krupp cannon, a Manlincher machine gun, several Winchester rifles, and more. equipment. After many battles until after noon, the government forces capitulated, commanded by Governor Pompeyo Baquero, before the commissioners of Colonel Serrano Renda. Hence the name "Combate of the wagons" or "Taking of the wagon", which is how an episode of the liberal struggle is described, which although it was brief and not exactly a battle -much has already been said about the fact that there was certain exaggeration in later accounts-, it did set guidelines for the seizure of national power by the men of General Eloy Alfaro.
This battle was a preamble to the victory of the liberal revolution in Guayaquil on June 5, 1895, which led General Eloy Alfaro Delgado to the presidency of the Republic.
Railway
In 1898, the National Congress approved the category of Puerto Bolívar as Puerto Bolívar. By the end of 1899, the railway was completed, but on April 23, 1900, when the first railway arrived in Machala, the service to Machala was inaugurated. The construction of the railway between Puerto Bolívar to Machala and later to Pasaje, awakened the progress of the region, allowed communication between the riverside towns to the sea and in turn by sea with Guayaquil, already considered the economic capital of Ecuador and later with the overseas ports, considering the provincial railway system as an "umbilical cord" that provided the opportunity for especially agricultural production to be exploited in all its dimensions. By the end of 1899, the railway was virtually completed, but it arrived on April 23, 1900, when the first locomotive finally arrived in Machala, inaugurating the train service to the delight of the Orense people.
Five years after the railway service between Puerto de Bolívar and Machala was inaugurated, the locomotives arrived and the construction of the Terminal Station in Machala was completed. With this rolling stock, the construction of the railway continued to the city of Pasaje, which was completed in 1908, under the administration of the Municipalities of Machala and Pasaje respectively. In the aforementioned year, the government of General Eloy Alfaro had proposed an ambitious plan for national rail networks. Regarding the province of El Oro, this project included extending the roads to three regions of southern Ecuador: Machala-Loja, Machala-Cuenca and Machala-Durán, in the province of Guayas. However, for political and economic reasons, the plan was not fulfilled and the first route only reached the current Piedras parish, jurisdiction of the Piñas canton; The branch that would have reached Cuenca only remained in Pasaje and finally the one that had to advance to Durán was interrupted at the La Iberia site due to an overflow of the Jubones River in 1909. For this reason, this railway system was renamed RAILWAYS OF EL ORO.
Early 20th century
Five years after the railway was inaugurated, between Puerto Bolívar and Machala, the construction of the Machala Terminal Station was completed. Later the construction of the railway continued until Pasaje, this work was concluded in 1908. By a plan of Gral. Eloy Alfaro on national railway networks, they wanted to extend the tracks from Machala to Loja, Cuenca and Durán, but, for political reasons and economic, this was not fulfilled and the first route only reached the parish of Piedras, in the Piñas canton; The road that would have reached Cuenca stayed in Pasaje and the one that should have reached Durán reached La Iberia due to an overflow of the Jubones River in 1909.
When 1910 arrived, relations between Ecuador and Peru were tense, so General Eloy Alfaro, in command of the army, arrived from Guayaquil in order to put an end to the atmosphere of tension, but, for intervention of the King of Spain, the problem did not progress, but it continued until years later.
During the dictatorships of the 1930s, North American mining companies were authorized to explore and exploit gold deposits in the Puyango River. One of these engineers, Joubert de Deaux, was the first American to explore the Puyango River from the mouth of the Moromoro River to the border with El Perú.
News
Santa Rosa canton was one of the towns most affected by the Peruvian invasion of 1941. After so much fighting, due to lack of support, the people of Santa Rosa had to flee to the north, as far as Guayaquil, Cuenca and Quito.
In 1948, the so-called “banana boom” began. It was a stage in which the banana became the economic hope of the people.
After the signing of the peace agreement between Ecuador and Peru in 1998, the commercial exchange between the two countries increased, since then the cargo in transit through the docks of Puerto Bolívar increased, especially from northern Peru, for the North American and European markets. The Binational Group for the Promotion of Private Investment (GBPIP) within the framework of the Ecuador - Peru Binational Plan encourages the creation of a binational port axis of complementarity of the ports of Paita in Peru and Puerto Bolívar in Ecuador to increase maritime and land trade between the two countries.
Government
The Autonomous Provincial Government of El Oro (GPAEO) is the government of the territory, which assumes the powers described in the Constitution of the Republic and the Organic Code of Territorial Organization, Autonomy and Decentralization (COOTAD). It is currently chaired by Eng. Clemente Bravo Riofrío who has fulfilled the functions of Provincial Prefect since May 15, 2019, winning the sectional elections to the candidate who was seeking re-election. The Provincial Council is the legislative body of the GPAEO, the same that is made up of the mayors of the cantons of the province and delegates of the autonomous decentralized parochial governments.
The National Government executes in the provinces the powers assigned by the Constitution, for which reason it has a presence in the territory with ministerial directions and the Government of El Oro.
Geography
The province of El Oro is the southernmost province (located to the south) of the Ecuadorian coast. It has a subtropical zone made up of an insular sector and a continental one, with beaches of singular beauty, areas of historical importance and a fertile and bountiful land. The southern and southeastern areas are mountainous and are made up of the Tahuín and Chilla mountain ranges. The rest is a foothills that goes down to the northwest to end up in the Gulf of Guayaquil.
A large part of the coastal sector of the province, especially at the mouth of the Santa Rosa River, maintains a landscape of estuaries, palm trees and mangroves; in front of it is a set of natural channels that separate it from the Jambelí archipelago.
Limits
It is bordered to the north by the provinces of Guayas and Azuay, to the northwest by the Gulf of Guayaquil, to the south and east by the province of Loja, and to the west by Peru.
Climate
The climate of the province varies in terms of geographical height and the amount of rain that falls in each zone. For example: the coastal zone varies between a dry climate in summer and rainy in winter. Instead, its mountainous area is generally rainy. and the temperature varies according to the altitude, being in the coastal area from about 25 to 35 °C, and in the highlands from about 10 to 22 °C.
Hydrography
The rivers of this province originate in the Andes mountain range and flow into the Gulf of Guayaquil. The most important of all is the Jubones River, which crosses the province from east to west and empties near the cities of El Guabo and Machala. In this province, the Arenillas River, the Santa Rosa River, the Zarumilla River, which forms the border with Peru, and the Puyango River, which separates this province from Loja, also stand out.
Orography
El Oro is divided into two areas: towards the northwest is its low zone or plain, where its strongest producing muscle works, with the cultivation of bananas and shrimp in captivity, the main economic sources of the province; The capital city of Machala is located in this area, as well as other important cantons such as Pasaje, Santa Rosa (which includes the Jambelí Archipelago), El Guabo, and the border cantons of Arenillas and Huaquillas.
The southeast, on the other hand, is the upper area of the province. It is crossed by the Western Cordillera of the Andes, and the temperature drops according to the height. The main cantons in this area are Piñas (famous for its orchids), Portovelo (gold mining production area), Zaruma (magical city for its colonial architecture) and Atahualpa (known for the Yacuviña Ruins, Cañari archaeological remains), In addition includes the cantons of Balsas, Chilla, Las Lajas and Marcabelí.
Government and politics
Politics
The political structure of El Oro is made up of the Provincial Decentralized Autonomous Government, commonly called "Prefecture of El Oro", which is a legal person under public law that enjoys political, administrative and financial autonomy, and exercises the executive, legislative and control functions within the territorial circumscription of the province. The headquarters of this sectional government is located in the city of Machala, due to its quality as the provincial capital.
The provincial government is made up of a prefect, a vice-prefect, and the provincial council. The prefect is the highest authority and legal representative of the executive function within the province and is elected jointly with the vice-prefect by popular vote. The provincial council is the provincial government's legislative and oversight body and is made up of the prefect - who presides over it with casting vote-, the vice-prefect, the mayors of the fourteen cantons of Orense, and representatives of rural parish governments. Currently the position of prefect is held by Clemente Bravo, elected for the period 2019 - 2023.
Parallel to the Provincial Decentralized Autonomous Government of El Oro, the executive power of the President of the Republic is represented in the province by the governor. The position of governor is held by a person appointed by the President of the Republic, and he can last indefinitely in his functions as long as the country's president so decides. Currently the governor of the province is Byron Zapata.
Administrative division
El Oro is divided into 14 cantons, which in turn are made up of urban and rural parishes. Each canton is administered by a mayor's office and a cantonal council, which are elected by the population of their respective cantons. The responsibility of the municipalities is to maintain roads, manage the canton's budget for social and economic assistance programs, and manage infrastructure such as parks and basic sanitation systems.
| Canton | Pob. (2018) | Area (km2) | Cantonal head | Pob. (2010) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Arenillas | 26 844 | 803 | Arenillas | 17 346 |
 | Atahualpa | 5 833 | 278 | Paccha | 1 594 |
 | Balsas | 6 861 | 69 | Balsas | 4 032 |
 | Chilla | 2 484 | 328 | Chilla | 1 025 |
 | The Guabo | 50 009 | 603 | The Guabo | 22 172 |
 | Huaquillas | 48 285 | 72 | Huaquillas | 47 706 |
 | The Lajas | 4 794 | 297 | Victoria | 1 178 |
 | Machala | 345 972 | 338 | Machala | 231 260 |
 | Marcabelí | 5 450 | 147 | Marcabelí | 3 682 |
 | Passage | 72 806 | 452 | Passage | 52 673 |
 | Piñas | 25 988 | 615 | Piñas | 15 517 |
 | Portovelo | 12 200 | 282 | Portovelo | 7 838 |
 | Santa Rosa | 69 036 | 889 | Santa Rosa | 48 929 |
 | Zaruma | 24 097 | 645 | Zaruma | 9 677 |
Popular festivals
- World Banking Fair
- International Fair of Langostino
- Mining Fair
- Coffee Festival
- Agricultural exhibitions
- Religious celebrations
Gastronomy
- Seafood in general (sudados, aguados, melosos, soups, rice and fries)
- Shrimp ceviche, shell, fish, octopus.
- Fish salad
- Crabs (red crabs cooked with green and spices)
- Rice with shrimp and beef, rubber or chicken
- Guatita (Mondongo goose -panza de res- and potatoes with peanut sauce)
- Ball stock (green baton cooked and filled)
- Powder (sing) with yuca and mote
- Peanut soup (mature green banana soup, onion, garlic, milk and cheese)
- Leather sheep is given in Portovelo
- Tigrillo (high part of the province: Portovelo, Piñas, Zaruma: green plantain cooked and torn, mixed with egg and cheese or meat, accompanied with coffee of the area).
- Bolons and green grinds
- Bread of mould, roscons and biscuits in Piñas.
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