Ecuador

What is now Ecuador was once part of the Incan Empire.  Spain conquered the region in 1533 and made it a Spanish colony.  A nation known as Gran Columbia declared its independence from Spain in 1819 and Ecuador broke away from Gran Columbia in 1830.  Spanish missionaries brought the Faith to Ecuador and today 74 percent of Ecuador’s 16 million people are Catholic.  About 15 percent are Protestant.

Ecuador has four ecclesiastic provinces:  Quito, Guayaquil, Cuenca, and Portoviejo.  In addition, there is a military diocese created in 1983.

There are also eight apostolic vicariates, all of which are directly subject to the Pope.  Aguarico (1984) is in the civil Province of Orellana, Esmeraldas (1957) is in the Province of Esmeraldas, Galapagos (2008) is in the Province of Galapagos, Mendez (1893) is in the civil Province of Morona Santiago, Napo (1871) is in the Province of Napo, Puyo (1964) is in the Province of Pastaza, San Miguel de Sucumbios (1984) is in the civil Province of Sucumbios, and Zamora (1893) is in the Province of Zamora-Chinchipe.  (Six of the eight began as apostolic prefectures.  The date shown is the establishment of the apostolic vicariate.)

Province of Quito

The province consists of the civil provinces of Bolivar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, Imbabura, Pichincha, Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas, and Tungurahua, in northwestern Ecuador.  The Diocese of Quito was established in 1546 and became the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Quito in 1848.

The Primary Cathedral of St. Peter in Quito was built between 1562 and 1565.  The Cathedral has been enhanced several times since then due in part to damage from a volcanic eruption (1660) and multiple earthquakes.  The white church has a single bell tower and employs Gothic-Mudejar, Baroque, and Neoclassical styles.  The main entrance features a circular staircase and an elaborate entrance known as the Carondelet Arch.  Three green glazed ceramic domes top the Cathedral.  Inside, the Cathedral has several chapels and a wooden coffered ceiling with paintings adorning the arches.  The paintings are mostly from Ecuadoran artists and feature biblical themes.  The oldest painting dates to the 17th Century.  The main altar is made entirely of gold.  The Cathedral is the burial location of several presidents of Ecuador.

The first picture is from the Cathedral website, the second is from Expedia, the third is from Flickr, and the rest are from Wikipedia.

The Province has six suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Ibarra was created in 1862.
• The Diocese of Riobamba was created in 1862.
• The Diocese of Ambato was established in 1948.
• The Diocese of Guaranda was created in 1957.
• The Diocese of Latacunga was established in 1963.
• The Diocese of Tulcan was created in 1965.

Province of Guayaquil

The province consists of the civil provinces of Guayas, Los Rios, and Santa Elena, in west central Ecuador.  The Diocese of Guayaquil was established in 1838 and became a metropolitan archdiocese in 1956.  The Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle in Guayaquil was built in a Neo-Gothic style between 1924 and 1937 to replace an earlier cathedral destroyed by fire.

The first picture is from Flickr, the second is from Pinterest, and the other two are from Wikipedia.

The Province has four suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Babahoyo began as an apostolic vicariate in 1948 and became a diocese in 1994.
• The Diocese of San Jacinto was established in 2009.
• The Diocese of Daule was established in 2022.
• The Diocese of Santa Elena was established in 2022.

Province of Cuenca

The province consists of the civil provinces of Azuay, Canar, Loja, and El Oro, in southwestern Ecuador.  The Diocese of Cuenca was created in 1786 and became a metropolitan archdiocese in 1957.

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Cuenca was built in a variety of architectural styles—mostly Romanesque Revival—between 1885 and 1975.  The Cathedral has six domes—the three largest of which are covered in blue and white glazed tile.  The Cathedral’s façade is made of alabaster and marble.  The interior has pink marble floors and 11 side altars.  The baldachin, the shape of which is reminiscent of the one in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, is made of cedar and covered in gold leaf.

The top picture is from Pinterest and the others are from Wikipedia.

The Province has three suffragan dioceses.

• The Diocese of Loja was established in 1862.
• The Diocese of Azogues was established in 1968.
• The Diocese of Machala was established as a territorial prelature in 1954 and became a diocese in 1969.

Province of Portoviejo

The province consists of the civil province of Manabi in west central Ecuador.  The Diocese of Portoviejo was established in 1870 and was promoted to a metropolitan archdiocese in 1994.

The Cathedral of Jesus the Good Shepherd in Portoviejo was built between 1956 and 1980 and combines several architectural styles.  The Cathedral has mosaics featuring the Life of Christ incorporated in the lives of the local people.

From Pinterest and Wikipedia.

The Province has one suffragan diocese.

• The Diocese of Santo Domingo was created as a territorial prelature in 1987 and became a diocese in 1996.

Definitions

The Catholic Church is mostly divided into ecclesiastical provinces—a province consists of a metropolitan archdiocese and one or more dioceses.  The province and the archdiocese are led by an archbishop.  Each of the dioceses is called a suffragan diocese and is led by a bishop.  Archbishops have some responsibilities for the province, but all bishops answer directly to the Pope.  There are also missionary jurisdictions below the level of a diocese.  These include apostolic vicariates, apostolic prefectures, and territorial prelatures.