In July 1822, leaders of the Latin American independence movement, San Martín and Bolívar, held a secret meeting in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The meeting took place in a spacious reception room and lasted for two days under strict confidentiality. The discussions focused on various critical issues, including military collaboration, command relations, the status of Guayaquil, the form of government, and the establishment of the Peruvian government. Following the meeting, San Martín decided to resign from his position as Protector and return to Argentina to live in seclusion. Historians have differing interpretations of the true intentions behind this meeting, but it undoubtedly stands as a significant event in the history of the Latin American wars of independence.