About the Consulate

History

William Wheelwright

The Consulate General of the United States in Guayaquil, Ecuador is one of our oldest diplomatic posts in Latin America – a testament to our commitment to working with our friends and partners in Ecuador. 

The United States and Gran Colombia first established formal ties in 1824 through the Treaty of Peace, Friendship, Navigation and Commerce, which allowed each country to appoint Consuls and Vice Consuls in the other’s ports.  In the subsequent years of uninterrupted diplomatic relations, there have been 59 Consuls General assigned to the Consulate in Guayaquil.

Our first Consul General in Ecuador was William Wheelwright, a shipwrecked sailor who had settled in Guayaquil and had later become a successful merchant. One of the most notable was the world-famous political cartoonist Thomas Nast.  Known as the father of modern political cartooning, Nast created the "Uncle Sam" U.S. political symbol and was the first to depict the U.S. Democratic and Republican parties as the now-familiar donkey and elephant.

As the only U.S. consulate in the Western Hemisphere outside of Mexico, Brazil and Canada, the Consulate in Guayaquil continues to highlight the importance of both Ecuador and Guayaquil.  Currently located on the corner of 9 de Octubre and Garcia Moreno in the heart of the city, the Consulate General provides consular services to Americans and Ecuadorians living in the coastal provinces of Guayas, Manabi, Los Rios, El Oro and Santa Elena; the southern highland provinces of Cañar, Azuay and Loja; the Amazonian province of Zamora Chinchipe; and the Galapagos Islands.

Our commitment to investing in Ecuador’s development in the future remains as strong as ever.  The Ambassador and Consul General recently announced our plans to move to a larger and more modern facility on the growing west side of the city.  Formerly the headquarters of Holcim, also know n as the National Cement Company, the Consulate’s new home will allow us to better serve the nearly 1,000 clients who visit us daily.  The United States government plans to invest more than $50 million in the purchase and renovation of the facility to ensure that the Ecuadorians and Americans who use our services enjoy the best facilities available.