Spanish abstract: En la epoca contemporanea, los jefes de Estado, motivados por situaciones de emergencia o crisis, han recurrido con frecuencia a un regimen juridico y politico con el fin de obtener facultades extraordinarias que les permitan mantener el statu quo; esto a traves de crear e imponer un orden normativo, economico, tributario y social de “anormalidad”. Esa figura, regulada constitucionalmente en casi todos los Estados de este hemisferio, tiene un ancestro remoto, la Roma republicana, y un avance historico digno de considerarse para entender las dimensiones del concepto. El estado de excepcion no puede verse unicamente desde el angulo politico y contemporaneo, mas bien, debe ser visto en contexto y a la luz del derecho internacional humanitario que, en ultimas, es el sistema que lo nutre, le da forma y limites. El caso de Ecuador, cuestion casi central en este texto, resulta particularmente llamativo, pues, en su historia reciente (13 anos) ha vivido mas de un centenar de estados de sitio sin control alguno y, a pesar de contar con un esquema de regulacion estructurado, debe ser revisado en aras de entender mejor la complejidad del concepto y sus consecuencias. English abstract: In contemporary times, heads of state, motivated by emergency or crises situations, have frequently resorted to a legal and political regime in order to obtain extraordinary powers that allow them to maintain the status quo; this through creating and imposing anormative, economic, tax and social order of “abnormality” this constitutionally figure regulated in almost all the States of this hemisphere, has a remote ancestor “Republic Rome” and a historical advance worthy of consideration to understand the dimensions of the concept The state of exception cannot be see only from the political and contemporary angle, rather, It must be seen in context and in light of International Humanitarian Law, which is ultimately the system that nourishes it, gives it shape and limits. The case of Ecuador, and almost central issue in this text, is particularly striking, then, in its recent history (13 years) it has lived more than a hundred states of siege without any control and that despite having a structured regulation scheme should be reviewed in order to better understand the complexity of the concept and its consequences.