José Joaquín de Olmedo

Who was José Joaquín de Olmedo?

José Joaquín de Olmedo y Maruri Patriot and poet, son of the Spanish Captain Don Miguel de Olmedo y Troyano and the Guayaquilean Ana Francisca de Maruri y Salavarría.

On October 9, 1820, Olmedo and others declared the city of Guayaquil independent from Spain. He was President of the Free Province of Guayaquil until it was united to Gran Colombia by Simón Bolívar against Olmedo's will. He was also twice mayor of Guayaquil.

He was Vice President of Ecuador from 1830 to 1831.

He was President of Ecuador from June 6, 1845, to December 8, 1845, surviving an attempted coup on June 18 of that year.

He was also a noted poet who emphasized patriotic themes. His best known work is La victoria de Junin, which pictures the Latin American fighters for independence from Spain as the legitimate heirs of the Incas.

Olmedo devoted his life to Guayaquil, he created the Guayaquilean flag and shield, and in 1821 he composed the Song to the October Ninth, which would become the Guayaquil Anthem.

The José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport in Guayaquil is named after him.