What is the title of Ecuador’s national anthem, whose lyrics were written by Juan León Mera?

Ecuador’s national anthem is titled “Salve, Oh Patria,” meaning “Hail, O Fatherland.” Juan León Mera wrote its lyrics.

Mera wrote the text in 1865 after Ecuador’s government requested a new national song. Antonio Neumane composed the music. The anthem was first performed publicly in Quito in 1870 and became the country’s principal patriotic musical symbol.

The official Spanish title is “¡Salve, Oh Patria!” The wording praises Ecuador’s independence and national identity, while the commonly performed version is shorter than the complete original text. The anthem is normally sung in Spanish.

A frequent mix-up is treating “Himno Nacional del Ecuador” as the title. That phrase simply means “National Anthem of Ecuador”; the anthem’s proper title is “Salve, Oh Patria.”