17th Century Writers - Ecuadorian Literature

Gertrudis de San Ildefonso

Sor Gertrudis de San Ildefonso (Quito, 1651 – Quito, January 29, 1709) was a revered Ecuadorian nun, mystic, and writer known for her role in promoting the cult of Nuestra Señora del Amparo in colonial Quito. Born Gertrudis Dávalos y Mendoza, she entered the Order of Saint Clare at seventeen, where she experienced mystical visions and helped unveil a miraculous image of the Virgin Mary. A prolific writer of religious texts, including hymns and prayers, her work contributed to Quito’s artistic and spiritual heritage, and she was declared venerable for her devout life and lasting influence.

Jerónima de Velasco

Jerónima de Velasco de Ladrón de Guevara (Quito, c. 1630 – ?) was a renowned 17th-century poet from the Real Audiencia de Quito, now Ecuador, who gained widespread recognition for her eloquent Baroque poetry. Celebrated by contemporaries, including the famed Spanish playwright Lope de Vega, who praised her as “divine” in his Laurel de Apolo, she was admired for her intellectual prowess and poetic skill. Velasco’s work was included in Jacinto de Evia’s Ramillete de varias flores poéticas (1675), though much of her own writing has not survived. She spent most of her life in Pasto, Colombia, where she also managed family affairs and raised her children.

Gaspar de Villarroel

Fray Gaspar de Villarroel (Quito, Kingdom of Quito, present-day Ecuador, 1587 – La Plata, Charcas, present-day Sucre, Bolivia, October 12, 1665) was an influential Augustinian priest, theologian, and archbishop in colonial Spanish America. Educated at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Lima, he rose to prominence as a preacher in Spain, eventually being appointed Bishop of Santiago de Chile in 1637, where he led relief efforts during the 1647 earthquake. He later served as Bishop of Arequipa and Archbishop of La Plata (Charcas). Villarroel is also remembered for his significant theological writings, particularly Gobierno Eclesiástico Pacífico (1656), which addressed the relationship between church and state in the Spanish colonies.

Jacinto Collahuazo

Jacinto Collahuazo (Otavalo, 1665 – 17??) was a cacique (indigenous political leader) from Otavalo, Ecuador. He was a poet and historian who was imprisoned by the Spanish for having written a book in Quechua related to the war between Huáscar and Atahualpa titled, “History of the civil wars of Atahualpa and his brother Atoco, known commonly as Huascar Inca.” His work was burned publicly by the Magistrate of Ibarra and he was sentenced to jail, where he spent his last days. He is considered the first Ecuadorian indigenous chronicler. He lived past 80 but his exact date of death is unknown.

Jacinto de Evia

Jacinto de Evia (Guayaquil, circa 1629 – 17??) was a priest and poet from the Spanish colonial period in Guayaquil, in what is now Ecuador. He is considered the first erotic poet of Ecuadorian literature because of poems he wrote in his younger years which he published in a book entitled, “Ramillete de Varias Flores Poéticas“ (Spain, 1675). The book also contains poems by his mentor Antonio de Bastidas and Hernando Domínguez Camargo. Some year prior to 1650, he traveled to Quito to study at the seminary school of San Luis, of the Society of Jesus, where he became a pupil of the great poet Antonio de Bastidas.