Leónidas Plaza (1865–1932) was a military man and politician who held the presidency of the Republic of Ecuador twice, the first between 1901 and 1905, then from 1912 to 1916. He was one of the great exponents of the Liberal Party.
Plaza was also one of Eloy Alfaro's allies, and his breakup consequently led to an ideological separation within the party. He was forced to flee into exile. Plaza was in Panama for a time, then in El Salvador, where he was named Mayor and later Colonel. He was also in Nicaragua and then in Costa Rica.
JS Vargas Skulljujos (Portrait of the Presidency of the Republic of Ecuador -Palacio de Carondelet), via Wikimedia Commons
Eloy Alfaro had recommended him on several occasions, but Plaza was involved in conspiracies against the governments to which he had been sent. For this reason, he lost the confidence of the leader of the Ecuadorian liberals and was denied his return to the country, until Alfaro was convinced to allow it.
Upon his return, Plaza again collaborated with the cause of the Liberal Party in different positions. His first presidential term was marked by reforms and a strong ideological conviction, while Plaza's second term brought infrastructure improvements to the country.
Biography
Early years
Leónidas Plaza Gutiérrez was born on April 18, 1865. There is a discrepancy about the place of birth of Plaza, as some say that he was born in Charapotó, Manabí province and that his name was replaced by that of a dead brother; while others claim that he was born in Barbacoas, Colombia.
His father was José Buenaventura Plaza Centeno, who was a teacher and in Barbacoas, his native land, he served as a deputy, attorney and representative of the state Congress. Plaza's mother was Alegría Gutiérrez Sevillano, also Colombian.
In any case, Leónidas Plaza lived in Charapotó since he was a child. There he sold chicha and raised cattle to earn money. The young Plaza ran away from his parents' house at a very young age to join Eloy Alfaro's militia that was heading to Bahía de Caráquez.
On July 9, 1883, he participated in the taking of Guayaquil that definitively ended with the mandate of General Ignacio de Veintemilla.
Later, he participated together with Alfaro in the Naval Combat of Jaramijó, where the liberal forces were defeated, as in the land battle, by the supporters of President Caamaño. It was then that Plaza fled to Central America.
Exile
First, Leónidas Plaza settled in Panama, where he was removed from military life. In 1885 he had to go to El Salvador, where he arrived recommended by General Eloy Alfaro to the President of the Republic, Francisco Menéndez.
There he obtained the rank of Major, in addition to the Government of Sonsonate. After Menéndez's death, he was promoted to Colonel by Carlos Ezeta, who later repudiated him and threatened to kill him after losing a battle.
Plaza regained Ezeta's trust during the 1890s after his involvement in the conflict with Guatemala. Later, Plaza conspired against him, but was discovered by the Salvadoran president who expelled him from the country.
He was in Acapulco for a while and then he went to Panama. From there, Leónidas Plaza set his course in the direction of Nicaragua, where he served President Roberto Sacasa, who was a conservative.
The Sacasa government soon fell and Plaza, again on Alfaro's recommendation, managed to be in favor with the winners, who were liberals. Later, Plaza ended up conspiring against the new government and was expelled to Costa Rica.
In mid-1895 he tried to return to Ecuador with the permission of Eloy Alfaro, but he no longer felt confidence in Plaza because of his conspiratorial history. However, the general was convinced and approved the return of Leónidas Plaza.
Return
Plaza arrived on Ecuadorian land and immediately lent his support to the liberal cause and the pacification of the national territory. In January 1896 he was appointed Governor of Azuay. Then he returned to the mountains together with Alfaro and took control of the conservative strongholds.
In October of the same year, Leónidas Plaza participated in the National Convention as a deputy. In addition, President Alfaro granted him the rank of General.
Since 1898 Plaza served as a deputy. In 1901 he asked Alfaro for a position as Consul in the United States or Europe, but this was denied because the president preferred to have him in the country because he considered it key.
Presidencies
1st mandate
In 1901 Eloy Alfaro had to choose a successor and there were three alternatives: first, General Manuel Antonio Franco, who was not popular with civilians; later, Lizardo García, a civilian, but little known. Finally, Manuel Benigno Cueva, who was not authorized because he had served as vice president a few years before.
These factors influenced Alfaro opting for Leónidas Plaza as his successor, in addition, the fact that he was a military man guaranteed continuity to the liberal system.
Plaza won the elections and Alfaro immediately requested his resignation, which was not granted, as well as the positions of Governor of Guayas or Commander of the Army that had been promised to Alfaro.
During his tenure, Plaza continued with liberal reforms. He guaranteed freedom of the press, eliminated the secret police and, at the end of his term, appointed Lizardo García as his successor in 1905 to leave power in the hands of a civilian.
Already then the Liberal Party was divided into two camps, the placistas and the alfaristas. After the 1906 coup, Plaza was exiled to New York until 1911.
2nd term
His candidacy had been scorned by that of Flavio Alfaro, so Plaza decided to support it with an army that marched to Guayaquil in 1912. He was the winner of the elections held between March 28 and 31.
This time Plaza focused on the creation of railways that would cross the entire Ecuadorian territory. He also supported the advancement of education and the creation of roads, bridges and telegraphs.
However, the massacre against the Alfaro was not forgotten, there were uprisings and finally their government ended in 1916.
Death
With the arrival of the Juliana Revolution of 1925 he was expelled from Ecuador, and when he returned in 1929 he stayed away from politics.
Leónidas Plaza died on November 17, 1932 in Huigra, in front of a bust of Eloy Alfaro, his death is attributed to a heart attack.
References
- Avilés Pino, E. (2018). Gral. Leónidas Plaza Gutiérrez - Historical Characters - Encyclopedia Del Ecuador. Encyclopedia Of Ecuador. Available at: encyclopediadelecuador.com.
- En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Leonidas Plaza. Available at: en.wikipedia.org.
- Presidency of the Republic of Ecuador. (2018). History of the Presidents - Leónidas Plaza Gutiérrez. Available at: web.archive.org.
- Pérez Pimentel, R. (2018). LEÓNIDAS PLAZA GUTIÉRREZ. Biographical Dictionary of Ecuador. Available at:biograficoecuador.com dictionary.
- Aldaz, R., de la Torre, C., Neira, K., Peña, A. and Ponce, S. (2003). "The economy in the government of Leónidas Plaza Gutiérrez (1901 - 1905)". Bulletin of the Economic History Workshop, V (3), pp. 6 - 9.
- Well, M. (2007). The Little Larousse Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary 2007. 13th ed. Bogotá (Colombia): Printer Colombiana, p.1610.