Patrimonialismo, conflicto y poder en la reconstrucción de Riobamba, 1797-1822

Abstract

A study which investigates the conflicts among the elites from the city of Rio-bamba and the administrative colonial centers of Quito and Santa Fe de Bogotá, with regard to the reconstruction of the city following the earthquake of 1897. The catastrophe revealed the political practices and the economic interests of the Creole Riobamban elite and the town council. In addition, the relationship among the power groups with the poor urbans and the indigenous groups is examined. Moreover, the divergences among the local powers and the central administration with respect to the site in which the new city was built.