Pirates In Ecuador

Introduction

Have you been lately at the Malecon, near 9 de Octubre? Have you notice the presence of a pirate vessel called Morgan? Have you travel in it? If the answer for these questions is yes, you will probably disregard the history behind the pirates in our country. You will now be transported to the year 1684, to be witness of the atrocities committed by the corsairs that know we praise by having a vessel in our river Guayas.

Body

Since 1684 ports in Central America and Panama were infested by pirates.

February 1687 they decided to attack and saq Guayaquil and in April they took the city.

French and English pirates there were no harmony at all, but for this attack they agreed totally.

Invasion force was about 700 men, weapon skilled and willing to commit the felony.

They took first the PunÐ"ÐŽ (Command centre)

Jorge Dhout was the English Cap, and Picard y Grogniet were the frenchs.

Back in the day the magistrate was Don Fernando Ponce de Leon, who knew that the pirates were invading the north and south of America, he was advice to protect the city but he neglect his duties the city was unprotected when the pirates arrived.

Lieutenant in Manta announced the arrival of the pirates, Santa Elena too and the magistrate didn’t care or believe the warnings.

PunÐ"ÐŽ archbishop that run away from the invaded town give the alert of the pirates to the magistrate and he only put some guards near the river.

On april 21 1687 the pirates start rowing towards the river to the city, once there they didn’t find any resistance. They divided their troops in three groups, one for the fort (Las PeÐ"±as), two for the surroundings of the city. The other two were sent to the shipyard and to El Estero.

Fisher men gave the alert. In the city they were 200 armed men that divided to the shipyard estero. The first group Shipyard fought strongly with the pirates even with knife and cutting weapons. They were defeated when the cap in charge run away ( Francisco Campuzano).

Las PeÐ"±as (Fort) Cap JosÐ"© Salas run to the surroundings and hide in the forest.

The city was finally taken by the pirates around 11 am Pirates death 9 more than 34 from the city side.

Not all the pirates went on fight one part of them waiting on the canoes, other in the PunÐ"ÐŽ to watch out the entrance of the Spanish armada.

Once took the coty the pirates started the robbery of the same and some of the neighbors and took for prisoners everyone they could and enclosed them iun the church of the city

They were more than 600 hundreds

From the woods the fire keep on until they killed on engloish poirate tahts when the captain said if they kkeeep shooting he will behead everybody inside the church

The pirates were making prisoner everybody in the city and surroundings and put them all in the city. When they got a lot people they started debating outside the church what to do, and they called for the principals (Los principales vayan saliendo) andno one moves then they started calling for the magistrate, doctors and everyone they can that has a title (nobelty) 25 went out they put them in line and in front of each one pirate with a weapon. They killed one of the principals Don Lorenzo de Sotomayor, with a bullet right in the head. Once they saw this the others went on their knees and started to pray for their life. But one of the friars that were out to stood up and said to the French with blood of surrender prisoners you dirt your hands? And the pirates send them back to the church

The corsairs took every weapon that they found in the city they took the good ones and the others destroy them completely , the ones that were in the Santa Ana hill were kill and buried in the Estero, they steal everything valuable and burn down the ships canoes and everything

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