My dear travelers and lovers of unusual journeys, welcome to the new series of travelogues on the Mr.M blog. The month of November will be dedicated to an unusual country in the heart of South America, a country known for the highest quality cocoa, bananas and coffee – Ecuador. At the very beginning of today’s travelogue, I would like to thank PRO ECUADOR and RoyalTour Ecuador Travel & DMC as well as other local partners who selflessly supported my adventure in South America.
With their help, travelogues from Ecuador and fashion stories were created that you will have the opportunity to read this November and December, and I sincerely hope that you will enjoy the new adventure.
If by any chance you missed reading the previous travelogues and fashion stories from Ecuador or you want to remind yourself of some interesting things, take the opportunity to visit the following links:
- Letters from Ecuador: Quito, a city coloured by the art and architecture of the Baroque…(Travelogue)
- Sannino Napoli: Discover true Italian craftsmanship with timeless and unique style…(Fashion Story)
- Letters from Ecuador: Quito, the pearl of South America in the middle of the world…(Travelogue)
- Brett Johnson: Fashion for the modern man with refined and refined taste… (Fashion Story)
- Letters from Ecuador: Cuenca, the Vibrant Charming Colonial Gem of South America…(Travelogue)
- Appella: Unique Watches that Combine Classic Design and Swiss Functionality… (Fashion Story)
- Letters from Ecuador: Ingapirca, Gualaceo and Chordeleg, Explore The Beauty of Andean Culture… (Travelogue)
- Brett Johnson: The American Touch of Iconic Elegance… (Fashion Story)
Royaltour is a specialized DMC travel agency for travel within Ecuador and Latin America. This exceptional travel agency offers specially designed travel packages for honeymooners and families, small cruises, Galapagos boutique programs, numerous diving tours, as well as sport fishing. On the foreign market, the focus of the Royaltour DMC travel agency is: Gastronomic tourism, Sports tours, music festivals, pilgrimages (Camino de Santiago and Marian Routes), cruises around the world, Disney, numerous ski camps, Formula 1, Expo Dubai, tennis tournaments, League champion and the World Cup.
The founder and owner of the agency is Erick Andrés Gálvez, who made our stay in Guayaquil special. If your trip takes you to Guayaquil, I highly recommend that you contact Royaltour Travel Agency, whose team will make your stay and experience amazing.
Guayaquil, the official name of the city is Santiago de Guayaquil, the capital of the province of Guayas and the capital of the canton of the same name. It is located in the southern center of the coastal region of Ecuador, on the banks of the Guayas River, about 20 kilometers from its confluence with the Pacific Ocean. It is surrounded by Estero Salado in its southwestern part and the beginning of the Chongon Colonche mountain range, a chain of low-altitude mountains, in the northwest. The city is divided into 16 city parishes.
With a population of almost 3 million inhabitants, it is the most populous city in the country and the fifth in the Andean community. However, its urban core goes beyond urban parishes, bringing together nearby towns and parishes; thus, the conurbation of Guayaquil covers a population of almost 4 million inhabitants, which is the most populous urban agglomeration in the country and also the fifth in the Andean Community. As the most populous city, it is one of the two development centers of the country – along with Quito, the national capital, where the main business, financial, cultural and sports entities of Ecuador are located.
After several attempts to establish the city, it was definitely established in 1547 under the name “Santiago de Guayaquil”, as a shipyard and commercial port in the service of the Spanish crown; from that moment it served as the main point in the economy of the Spanish colony and then the nation. Guayaquil has been home to major revolutions and uprisings throughout history, being the first Ecuadorian city to gain definitive independence from Spain in 1820. It was then the capital of the Free Province of Guayaquil, which was later annexed to Gran Colombia. Since 1830, it has been part of the Republic of Ecuador as an important economic and political axis.
Guayaquil is the main economic center, cultural and financial resources of Ecuador. This city stands out among Ecuadorian cities for its high use of mass transit, as well as for its overall population density and diversity. The city’s port is one of the most important on the eastern Pacific coast as almost 70% of the country’s private exports go through its facilities, bringing in 83% of imports.
How did this most colorful pearl of the Pacific get its name? There are several theories associated with the name of the city of Santiago de Guayaquil, which historians agree has a pre-Hispanic origin. Since the founding process began in 1534, it has been associated with the name Santiago in memory of its patron saint, Santiago the Elder, the apostle of Jesus Christ, who is also the patron saint of several cities in Latin America founded in the colonial period. , such as the city of Santiago in Chile, as well as in the Kingdom of Spain.
One of the theories is based on a romantic legend, transmitted orally from generation to generation, which attributes its etymological origin to the combination of the names of a chief named Guaias and his wife Quil, symbols of indigenous resistance who – according to popular tradition – chose to fight to the death ( and finally to burn the village) rather than submit to the vassalage imposed by the Spanish conquerors.
The existence of a city with a similar name to Guayaquil, located near the city of Duran, was the cause of research by archaeologists and historians, who agreed that at the time of the conquest, it was ruled by the chief of Guayaquil. If the true origin is discovered, the only doubt that would remain would be whether he was said to be the chief who gave the name to the town and river or vice versa. But the researcher Angel Veliz Mendoza in his book “el cacique Guayaquile” states that the name of the city is mentioned at least seven times in documents before 1543. It is believed that the name Guayaquil is a consequence of the last settlement of the population, in the lands of the chiefs of Guayaquil. This area was occupied by the Chonos nation, a group of peoples known from an archaeological point of view as the Milagro-Quevedo culture.
After several transfers and fires, the city was definitely founded in 1547 under the name “The very noble and very loyal city of Santiago de Guayaquil”. After the city’s independence in 1820, the term “Very Noble and Very Loyal” disappeared due to its separation from the Spanish Empire. Currently, the patron saint name of Santiago de Guayaquil is not regularly used, although it is the official name of the city.
In pre-Columbian times, the Guayaquil region was inhabited by several indigenous villages. They consisted of political organization, war actions, and commercial exchange with other peoples located to the south in present-day Peru and to the north in present-day Mexico, by raft navigation, relying on the river structure of the Guayas River. the peoples who settled near the river were the product of the migration that arose from the Manteno culture, and are known as “Mantenos del Sur” or as the Huancavilca culture. In the last period of the pre-Hispanic era, the period of integration, the Huancavilcas covered most of the present province of Guayas and other surrounding provinces, where other cultures developed. These cultures developed independently of each other until the Spanish conquest.
Shortly after Francisco Pizarro began the conquest of Peru, and in order to colonize and expand Spanish domination to the north of the ancient Inca Empire, he ordered the establishment of Villa Santiago de Quito on August 15, 1534, near the current city. Riobamba, but after a short time he was ordered to move to a place inside Inca territory, so two expeditions left. One of the expeditions headed north, which would later found the city of San Francisco de Quito. Meanwhile, another expedition moved southwest and reached the coastal area, with which they settled in several sectors, but were driven out by native resistance.
The establishment of the city was a process in which several Spanish expeditions tried to settle the colonial city, but due to the resistance of the natives, it was too difficult a task. The first settlement was made by Sebastian of Benalcazar in 1534, who arrived from Paita with several expeditions and founded a city east of the Guayas River, but the Chonos destroyed the city and killed almost half of the inhabitants.
In 1536, on Pizarro’s order, Hernando de Zaera moved a town near a place called “Jahual”, but since the Spanish armies needed support from the south, Zaera and his army went to Peru. Pizarro again ordered the transfer and reconstruction of the alcapitan city of Francisco de Orellana and in 1537 the city was settled in Culata, the current sector of La Punitilla in Samborondon, and then Orellana left for Lima again, leaving Juan Porcello as mayor. In 1541, an alliance between Chonos and Punaes besieged the city in a conflict that lasted six months.
In May 1542, Captain Diego de Urbina moved the city again and took refuge near Huancavilcas, west of the Guayas River, however, in 1543 Huancavilcas completely destroyed the city and once again the city had to be moved to the same place as Belalcazar. built in 1534. Finally, after a civil war broke out between Pizarro and Almagro, the city was moved to its current location on July 25, 1547 under the name of Very Noble and Very Loyal City of Santiago de Guayaquil.
In the colonial period, Santiago de Guayaquil began to grow from the hills of Santa Ana and after a short time became an important trading center, with which the Audiencia maintained commercial links with other parts of the entire South Pacific region, and this contributed to the abundance of useful forest for construction, the existence of a large the number of individuals looking for work (which made labor cheaper) and the strategic location of the port allowed Guayaquil to become the main shipyard of the South Sea Navy and one of the largest and most important in the Americas in seventeenth century.
Due to the commercial boom the city sustained during its early years, Santiago de Guayaquil had to endure several pirate attacks. The English privateer Thomas Cavendish attacked the city in 1586, and the Dutchman Jacques L’Eremite did the same in 1624, while the next attack took place in 1684, when William Dampier, along with other pirates, destroyed most of the city due to fires that caused by their attacks. In 1687, French pirates D’Hout, Picard, and Groignet launched raids, leaving the city partially destroyed, looted, and the main buildings burned to the ground. From these events, it was decided to move the city, which led to the separation of the city into the old part of the city and the new part of the city in a process that lasted between 1690 and 1696. Due to the constant transfers, there are numerous fires and plagues that would hit the city leaving hundreds dead. As a preventive measure against attacks, forts were built on the hills and the army grew, while pirate attacks gradually weakened until they completely disappeared.
In 1763, the Corregimiento of Guayaquil was transformed into the Government of Guayaquil and passed from the composition of the Viceroyalty of Peru to the Viceroyalty of New Granada. While on November 10, 1764, a fire called Fuego Grande destroyed a large part of the new city, which is currently on the list of one of the biggest disasters in Guayaquil. After the disaster, through efforts before the king, exemption from paying the alcabal was requested for a limited time, and with a loan of two hundred thousand pesos, the city began to rapidly rebuild. With the royal confirmation of 1803, the Government of Guayaquil returns to depend on the Viceroyalty of Peru, due to the existing large commercial flow and to improve the military defense against privateers and strengthen the shipyard.
After unsuccessful attempts at emancipation in other parts of the Royal Audience of Quito, but motivated by the liberation current and the arrival of General José de San Martín with the Liberation Expedition of Peru to the north of Peru and the control of Spanish naval power in the Pacific in the campaign of Thomas Cochrane, on October 9, 1820, the city of Guayaquil was declared independence from the Spanish Empire, thus joining the emancipatory cause of other regions on the continent. With the independence of the city, José Joaquín de Olmedo, who was in charge of the provisional government, convened an assembly on November 8 of that year at which the Free Province of Guayaquil was created and its electoral statute and constitution for the nascent state. In addition, the sovereignty of Guayaquil and its independence were secured, the Protective Division of Quito was created, through which the rest of the Presidency of Quito was supposed to become independent, giving way to the beginning of the independence war in the region.
Guayaquil’s army fought a series of battles to secure the independence of the city and its province, however, royalist armies continued to consolidate in the mountains. President Olmedo decided to ask the other liberators of South America for help, with the help of which he obtained the help of Simón Bolívar, who sent Antonio José de Sucre with a considerable army in favor of the emancipatory cause. And in sending José de San Martin from the Peruvian-Argentine division that commanded Santa Cruz. From that, the liberation armies consolidated on the coast, entered the inter-Andean alley where they headed north, holding several battles and finally, on May 24, 1822, they defeated the royalist forces in the Battle of Pichincha, which consolidated the independence of the territories of the old royal audience of Quito.
After achieving independence, Quito and Cuenca were quickly annexed to Greater Colombia, while Bolivar tried to annex the Free Province of Guayaquil. However, the option of joining Peru or remaining independent was also strongly considered in Guayaquil. José de San Martín also showed a desire for this city to join Peru, which is why Bolivar decides to enter the city with the army, does not know the local government under the protest of the people and waits for San Martín, as a result, Olmedo self-exiled in Lima. The meeting of the liberators, called the Guayaquil interview, took place on July 26, 1822 and resulted in agreements on the definition of Peruvian independence, where San Martin would give Bolivar the freedom to conclude it and the annexation of Guayaquil to Gran. Colombia. On July 31, 1822, the Free Province of Guayaquil became the Department of Guayaquil, which in turn was part of the southern district of Gran Colombia. Not long after, in 1829, the city was invaded by the Peruvian army, which occupied it for a period of seven months.
The following year, the Southern District was separated from Greater Colombia and the Republic of Ecuador was created, and Guayaquil became part of it on May 19, 1930. The Venezuelan Juan Jose Flores was elected as the first president, who held that position for three terms that proved to be disastrous for the young nation. Later, in 1845, a national assembly convened and drafted a new constitution that granted Flores excessive powers, in addition to his immediate re-election and extension of his reign. This is why the Marxist revolution broke out in Guayaquil on March 6, 1845, led by Jose Joaquin de Olmedo, Vicente Rocafuerte, Vicente Ramon Rocca, Diego Noboa, among others; who overthrew Flores and established a new line of government called the Marxist period.
After a few years, Marcismo remained in power until 1859, when Francisco Robles resigned as president of Ecuador. After Robles left power, several supreme chiefdoms were formed in the country. In Guayaquil, General Guillermo Franco Herrera declared himself the Supreme Chief of Guayas, while in Quito a provisional government was formed under the command of Gabriel García Moreno, and in Cuenca, Jeronimo Carrion declared himself the Supreme Chief of that region. In addition to the internal political crisis, Peru also had to deal with diplomatic and territorial problems. Franco negotiated agreements with Peruvian President Ramon Castilla, with whom he signed the Treaty of Mapasingu, after Peruvian troops captured the city.
After the withdrawal of the Peruvian expedition; On September 24, 1860, the forces of García Moreno and Juan José Flores, who had helped García Moreno in his attempt to reconcile with Ecuador, fought a conflict known as the Battle of Guayaquil against the forces of Guillermo Franco. As a result of García Moreno’s victory, Guayaquil was re-annexed to Ecuador and later the Treaty of Mapasingu was annulled by the congresses of both nations. In addition, after these events, the period known as Garcianism began in the government of Ecuador.
Over the years, it has continued with its commercial tradition, and currently in an essentially economic process, it is dedicated to tourism, reflected in the changes in the decoration of the city, with the improvement of citizens’ self-esteem. a process that lasted for years, from the last two municipal administrations. Guayaquil thus developed into a national and international tourist destination, hosting international fairs and events.
The center of the city of Guayaquil is one of the most important places for domestic and foreign tourism, because it is the oldest and most colonial. The Malecon 2000 area is of great tourist interest and is located near the center. The Point, located in the Puerto Santa Ana area, is the largest building in Guayaquil and the country. The settlement of “Las Penas” is another interesting place, it has approximately 444 steps and ends with a viewpoint from which you can enjoy the most beautiful view of the city.
Its geographical location makes it the gateway to the Galapagos Islands and it has won World Travel Awards on several occasions. Among them: South America’s leading city break destination and South America’s leading business development and conference destination.
Guayaquil is a city that offers a variety of activities and events. In addition to excursions or tours: shopping tours in shopping centers, gastronomic tours, religious tours or tours in agrotourism haciendas. A good alternative to getting to know the city are the free tours offered through the municipality of Guayaquil.
One of the most important places for tourists is the Malecon 2000, named after the foundation that carried out the works. The original name is Malecon Simon Bolivar. This work is a project of urban regeneration of the old promenade. With a length of 2.5 km, it offers its visitors, in addition to safety, great monuments of the city’s history, museums, gardens, fountains, viewpoints, shopping centers, restaurants, bars, restaurants, the first IMAX cinema in Ecuador, piers, from where you can embark on boats for day and night walks along the Guayas River.
According to studies conducted by the Municipal Public Enterprise for Tourism, Civic Promotion and International Relations, 54% of tourists who come to Guayaquil are foreigners, while 98% of tourists recommend the city as a tourist destination.
On the Malecon del Salado you can enjoy family walks along the estuary in small boats and admire the flora and fauna of the estuary; there are also discos, as well as numerous restaurants and bars. Las Peñas is the oldest neighborhood in Guayaquil. In recent years, it has been transformed into one of the main attractions of the city. Puerto Santa Ana: it is an architectural megaproject similar to the Coconut Walk of Miami or Puerto Madero in Argentina, it is a residential, business and potential tourist place that has several buildings of contemporary construction and luxury apartments. Its first phase was inaugurated in 2007. Just a few meters from the Peñas and Santa Ana hills, there is the Guayaquil Artisan Market (MAG), which was created in 1982 and since that moment has gathered under one roof the arts, cultures and crafts of the 4 regions of Ecuador. It is the oldest craft market in the province with more than 100 artisans from the coast, mountains and Amazonia.
The Guayaquil Historical Park is located outside the urban perimeter. The place has a mangrove forest through which visitors can travel on a wooden path. There are 28 species of animals in the mangrove, including white-tailed deer, raccoon, and peccary. There are also tigers, sloths, monkeys and crocodiles. You can also see parrots, harpy eagles and parrots here. The site also has a replica of old Guayaquil, some of the buildings are original and have been transferred to the park. In the park you can discover the main fauna and history of not only the city but also the old province.
Lake Park National Recreation Area is an artificial lake with more than 2,500,000 m³ of water (reservoir) and where you can enjoy water sports such as kayaking, rowing, shore fishing, spearfishing, diving, snorkeling and other water sports, as well as activities such as cycling, camping, picnics and enjoying nature.
Puerto Hondo is a tourist spot to enjoy flora and fauna (mangrove reserve) and engage in water sports such as swimming, rowing, kayaking, etc. It has a beach and typical and traditional food. While in the protected forest of Cerro Blanco you can admire the flora and fauna of the dry forest and you can enjoy adventure tourism in the ecological reserve with the possibility of camping from day to day.
Cerro Santa Ana is located northeast of the city, next to Las Peñas and a few meters from the Malecón. It is the place where Guayaquil was born. A picturesque place and very interesting to visit because you have to climb 456 steps, until you reach its top, from where you can see the north of Guayaquil. The hill is full of cafes, bars, craft shops.
Seminario Park is located in the Rocafuerte area in the very center of the city. In this park, you can see a monument to Simon Bolivar, as well as a large variety of green iguanas. Seminario Park is bordered to the north by Clemente Balen i Milan Street, to the south by 10 de Agosto Street, to the east by Chile Street and to the west by Chimborazo Street, which has been regenerated for specific pedestrian use, as it connects the park to the Guayaquil Cathedral. The Plaza de Santo Domingo is located in front of the church that gives it its name, where Rocafuerte Street is next to the plateau between the hills of Santa Ana and Carmen.
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Guayaquil is located in the heart of Guayaquil, it was built around 1547, it has beautiful semi-gothic towers, it was the mother church in the mid-sixteenth century. Originally the cathedral was built of wood, in 1590 the building was on Santa Ana Hill, next to the Cabildo House and the Plaza de Armas, then the temple was destroyed in a terrible fire in 1692. Samanes Park is located north of the city, right in the Samanes sector. It is the third largest park in Latin America, as it stretches from the Guayas River to the Via a Daula with about 851 hectares. It is a recreational park that has a large number of football, tennis, basketball and handball courts; it also has a lagoon and a concert venue with a capacity of 10,000 people.
In this park, a stadium was built, which was named in honor of the deceased football player Christian Benitez Betancourt, with a capacity of 8,000 people. Guayaquil football club from Serie A of Ecuadorian football plays at this stadium. If you are a fan of extreme sports, there are small towns near Guayaquil surrounded by nature that are ideal for extreme sports and outdoor activities. Canyoning, which consists of descending through canyons or waterfalls, is one of the most commonly practiced by tourists who arrive in Guayaquil and are looking for some adventure nearby, also bar diving and tubing, which consists of sailing through fast-flowing rivers, is another outdoor adventure sport. widely practiced.
Hilton Colon Guayaquil is located close to José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport, which connects you to the Galapagos Islands. In just 10 minutes’ drive, you can visit the famous Malecon 2000, the city’s waterfront promenade with numerous shops, gardens and historical monuments. The Hilton Colon Guayaquil hotel has an outdoor pool with a bar and a spa with a sauna, steam room and treatment rooms.
I would like to give a special thanks to the Hilton Colon Guayaquil staff for their warm welcome and hosting me in their hotel. The stay in their hotel was exceptional, a unique experience that I will remember!
In the next post, I will write about Hotel del Parque, which is a representative of classic Ecuadorian luxury located in a refreshing natural environment. This exceptional boutique hotel allows you to relax in nature, which you should consider if you decide to visit Guayaquil, the most colorful pearl of the Pacific. My dear adventurers, we have come to the end of this fifth special travelogue in the series of travelogues about Ecuador where we had the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of this unusual country in South America. Today’s travelogue would not be possible without the selfless help of PRO ECUADOR, Royaltour DMC travel agency, Hilton Colon Guayaquil in collaboration with local partners who allowed me to feel the spirit and beauty of local culture and the beauty of everyday life in Guayaquil. Of course, as always, I tried my best to convey to you my impressions of this unusual experience from Ecuador.
A person is rich in soul if he has managed to explore the world and I am glad that I always manage to find partners of my projects who help me to discover new and unusual destinations in a completely different way.
I am honoured to have the opportunity to collaborate with many companies and businesses in the tourism sector and I would like to thank PRO ECUADOR and Royaltour DMC travel agency once again for this amazing adventure and for allowing me to feel the beauty of this unusual place in a completely different way Ecuadorian culture and feel the beauty of everyday life in Guayaquil.
How did you like my story about Ecuador and the presentation of Guayaquil, the pearl of the Pacific adorning the south of this unusual country in South America? Have you had the chance to visit Ecuador so far?
If you have any question, comment, suggestion or message for me you can write me below in the comments. Of course, as always, you can contact me via email or social networks, all addresses can be found on the CONTACT page. See you at the same place in a few days, with some new story!
In the following stories from Ecuador, we will discover some other interesting sights that you should visit if your journey leads you to this exotic country!
With Love from Guayaquil,
Mr.M
This post is sponsored by PRO ECUADOR, Royaltour DMC travel agency, Hilton Colon Guayaquil hotel and other local partners. This post is my personal and honest review of the destination experience.
This series of travelogues from Ecuador is very interesting, Guayaquil is a great tourist destination because many people say that it is unsafe because of crime, but based on your story and pictures, I would say that it is a safe situation.
I was in Guayaquil briefly after visiting the Galapagos Islands, but apparently it wasn’t enough. The next time I visit Ecuador I must visit Guayaquil and Cuenca.
Dear Marco, it’s nice how you showed in most of the travelogues from Ecuador how they are dedicated to religion and how important religion is in the lives of people in South America, but people in Ecuador are special. It’s nice to read your stories and I hope you will soon write us some new series of travelogues about some new destination.