González Suárez, (Manuel María) Federico (1844–1917)

(Manuel María) Federico González Suárez (b. 12 April 1844; d. 1 December 1917), noted Ecuadoran historian and archbishop of Quito (1906–1917). González Suárez, a native of Quito, is most remembered for his multivolume Historia general de la República del Ecuador (1890–1903), based on extensive research in local archives and in Spain. González Suárez's goal had been to write a general history of America, but he completed only the eight volumes that dealt with Ecuador's pre-Columbian and colonial eras. He devoted most of his attention to the ecclesiastical history of the city of Quito, giving scant notice to Guayaquil or to economic matters. González Suárez's mild criticism of the colonial Ecuadorian clergy evoked bitter attacks from the church and from conservatives. Other works by González Suárez are Estudio histórico sobre las Canaris (1878), Historia eclesiástica del Ecuador (1881), Nueva miscelanea o colección de opusculos publicados (1910), and Defensa de mi criterio histórico (1937).

During the terms of the Liberal president Eloy Alfaro y Arosemena (1895–1901, 1906–1911) and the drive to secularize Ecuadorian society (principally through measures for civil marriage and divorce), Archbishop González Suárez played a critical role in depoliticizing the clergy. A peacemaker, he provided a calm voice for moderation in the clergy. His publications inspired a group of young disciples, most notably Jacinto Jijón y Caamaño.

See alsoCatholic Church: The Colonial Period .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

For a discussion of González Suárez's contribution to Ecuadorian historical scholarship, see Adam Szászdi, "The Historiography of the Republic of Ecuador," in Hispanic American Historical Review 44, 4 (1964): 503-550.

George A. Brubaker, "Federico González Suárez, Historian of Ecuador," in Journal of Inter-American Studies 5, 2 (1963): 235-248. See also Nicolás Jiménez, Biografía del ilustrísimo Federico González Suárez (1936).

Additional Bibliography

González Suárez, Federico, and Carlos de la Torre Reyes. González Suárez. Quito: Banco Central del Ecuador, 1995.

Larrea, Carlos Manuel. Tres historiadores: Velasco, González Suárez, Jijón, y Caamaño. Quito: Casa de Cultura Ecuatoriana "Benjamin Carrión," 1998.

                                           Ronn F. Pineo