Universidad de Sevilla (España) acheca@us.es ResumenLa fecundidad y riqueza del primer periodismo de Loja, en el sur de Ecuador, en el período entre 1856 y 1895, es un fenómeno no suficientemente estudiado por la historiografía existente, que si bien supone un esfuerzo de recopilación de los periódicos y revistas aparecidas en esta provincia ecuatoriana, adolecen de imprecisiones, omisiones y de un análisis muy descriptivo. Esta investigación ubica físicamente 27 periódicos y 8 revistas literarias, que constituyen casi la totalidad de publicaciones habidas, analizán-dolas contextualizadamente, y recopila 91 hojas volantes, como fenómeno inexplorado hasta la fecha y muy rico como expresión de la opinión ciudadana.Palabras clave: Historia, Periodismo, Loja, siglo XIX Sources and Characteristics of early journalism in Loja (Ecuador): 1856-1895 AbstractThe birth and richness of early journalism of Loja, southern Ecuador, during the period from 1856 to 1895, is a phenomenon that has been insufficiently studied in the existing historiography. Although there have been efforts to study this period through the gathering and analysis of newspapers and magazines from the said province, research indicates that there are frequent inaccuracies and omissions in the data. What's more, studies carried out to date on this subject mostly lack descriptive analyses. This paper physically locates the 27 newspapers and 8 literary magazines that form almost the entire body of publications in this field. Through analysis and contextualization, it examines the usage of 91 leaflets, which serve not only as a fairly new phenomenon, but as a rich expression of public opinion.