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Front: Vicente Rocafuerte (1783-1847), President of Ecuador 1834-1839

Rocafuerte was educated in Madrid, Spain. He returned to Ecuador in 1807, and worked in freeing Ecuador from Spanish rule. He was elected to the National Congress after Ecuadorian independence. President Juan José Flores exiled him to Peru when he went against the President's will in congress. He returned to become the Governor of Guayas Province in 1833. He was imprisoned when he revolted against Flores, and was released only after a negotiated settlement. The settlement allowed Flores to finish his term in office, and for Rocafuerte to become president afterwards.

Back: Independence monument in Quito

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Front: Juan Montalvo (1832-1889), Ecuadorian author

Montalvo was a strong believer of democracy. He was outspoken against Ecuador's two dictators that ruled during his life: Gabriel García Moreno and Ignacio de Veintimilla. After publishing his book, El Cosmopolita, viciously attacked Moreno, Montalvo was exiled to Colombia, where he would write most of his later works.

Montalvo became famous for his 1880 book Catilinarias. He also wrote a sequel to Miguel de Cervantes's Don Quixote, called Capítulos que se le Olvidaron a Cervantes (Chapters Cervantes Forgot).

Back: Flightless cormoran, Galapagos penguin and Galapagos tortoise

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Front: Gabriel García Moreno (1821-1875), President of Ecuador 1859-1865 and 1869-1875

Moreno was known for his conservatism. He founded the Conservative Party in 1869. Ecuador became the leader in the fields of science and higher education within Latin America during his presidency. He was killed in office by a machete-wielding Colombian-Ecuadorian citizen.

Back: Coat of Arms

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Front: Eloy Alfaro Delgado (1842-1912), President of Ecuador 1895-1901 and 1906-1911

Eloy Alfaro founded the radical-liberal party and became the supreme head of Ecuador in 1895. A coup d'etat in 1906 again put him back to power. He was assassinated in 1912.

Back: Coat of Arms