This article is about the city of Guayaquil. For the canton named after this city, seeGuayaquil Canton.
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Guayaquil (Spanish pronunciation:[ɡwaʝaˈkil]ⓘ), officiallySantiago de Guayaquil, is the largest city inEcuador and also the nation's economic capital and main port. The city is thecapital ofGuayas Province and the seat ofGuayaquil Canton. The city is located on the west bank of theGuayas River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean at theGulf of Guayaquil.
With a population of 2,746,403 inhabitants, it is the most populous city in the country, and the fifth largest in theAndean Community.[1] However, its urban fabric extends beyond its official urban parishes, encompassing nearby cities and parishes; thus, theGuayaquil metropolitan area reaches a population of 3,618,450, making it the most populous urban agglomeration in the nation, and also the fifth in the Andean Community. As the largest city, it is one of the two main development poles of the country—alongsideQuito, the national capital—hosting Ecuador’s main business, financial, cultural, and sports institutions.
After several failed founding attempts, it was definitively established in 1547 under the name "Santiago de Guayaquil" as ashipyard andport fortrade in service of theSpanish Empire; from that moment, it became a key hub in the economy of the Spanish colony and later of the nation.[3] Guayaquil has been the site of major revolutions and uprisings throughout its history, being the first Ecuadorian city to definitively achieve itsindependence from Spain in 1820. It later served as the capital of theFree Province of Guayaquil, which was subsequently annexed toGran Colombia. Since 1830, it has been part of the Republic of Ecuador, playing a significant economic and political role.
It is the principal economic, cultural, and financial center of Ecuador.[4] Guayaquil stands out amongEcuadorian cities for its high use of mass transit, total population density, and diversity. The city’s port is one of the most important on the eastern Pacific coast. About 70% of the country's private exports leave through its facilities, and 83% of imports enter through them.
The origin of the nameSantiago de Guayaquil has been much discussed, although that 'Guayaquil' is pre-Hispanic. Since the founding of the city by the Spanish in 1534, it has been linked to the name ofSantiago in memory of its patron saint,Santiago, apostle of Christ. He is also designated as patron saint of several other Spanish American colonial cities, such asSantiago de Chile, as he is of Spain.[5]
A theory based on a romantic legend, transmitted orally, attributes the name Guayaquil to the joining of the name of a leader namedGuayas and of his wifeQuil. They are symbols of the local resistance that—according to local tradition—chose to fight to the death (and as a final act, set fire to the town), rather than surrender to the Spanish conquerors.[6]
A town with a name similar to Guayaquil is located near the city of Durán (Autopista Durán-Boliche km. 23). Investigations by archeologists and historians has led them to conclude that when the town was conquered by the Spanish, it was ruled by a man named Guayaquile.[7]
They have not determined if the man or the town was first to receive that name. But researcher Ángel Véliz Mendoza, in his book on the man Guayaquile, says that there at least seven references to the toponym in pre-1543 documents.[8] It is believed that the name Guayaquil is taken from the population's final home, in lands of the chief Guayaquile. This region was occupied by thechonos, people whose archeological name (in Spanish) isCultura Milagro-Quevedo.[7]
After several location changes and fires, the city was founded in1547, and named the"Muy Noble y Muy Leal Ciudad de Santiago de Guayaquil" ("Very noble and very loyal city of Santiago de Guayaquil"). After the city's independence in 1820, the words "very noble and very loyal" disappeared from use, as the city was no longer part of the Spanish Empire. Today, the official name ofSantiago de Guayaquil is seldom used outside of official contexts.[citation needed]
Engraving depicting a map of Guayaquil in 1741Mariquita, a young mestiza woman from Guayaquil in 1847–48, byAdele de Dombasle
Guayaquil was founded on 25 July 1538[9] by Spanish conquerorFrancisco de Orellana in the location of a native village. He named it asMuy Noble y Muy Leal Ciudad de Santiago de Guayaquil ("Most Noble and Most Loyal City of Santiago de Guayaquil").[10]
On 20 April 1687, Guayaquil was attacked and looted by English and Frenchpirates under the command ofGeorge Dew (English), and Picard and Groniet (French).[11] Of more than 260 pirates, 35 were killed and 46 were wounded; 75 defenders of the city died and more than 100 were wounded.[citation needed]
In 1709, English captains includingWoodes Rogers andWilliam Dampier, along with a crew of 110, looted Guayaquil and demanded ransom. But they departed suddenly and without collecting the ransom after an epidemic ofyellow fever broke out.[citation needed]
In colonial times Guayaquil was the chief Spanish shipyard in the Pacific, although some navigators considered thatValdivia (now in Chile) had better conditions.[12][13]
Guayaquil was a stopover point in the commerce between Asia and Latin America conducted via Philippines-basedManila galleons. The trade route had links toAcapulco in present-day Mexico and terminated with a node inCallao, Peru.[14]
In the late eighteenth century, the majority of slaves in the region were located in Guayaquil. Their lives and work were conditioned by a practice calledjornal. The owners held them legally but thejornalado slaves had "considerable independence"[15] in exchange for paying their owners a fee (thejornal) every day. Such enslaved Native Americans, such asMaría Chiquinquirá, would work inside urban homes. (She was a local hero because she successfully went to court in 1794 to argue for her freedom.) Other jornalado enslaved men worked alongside free workers in the shipyards.[citation needed]
By the turn of the nineteenth century, slaves had fought for their freedom in increasing numbers. Together they formed a social group known as theplebe.[15]
On 9 October 1820, almost without bloodshed, a group of civilians, supported by soldiers from the "Granaderos de Reserva" battalion quartered in Guayaquil, led by the Peruvian Colonel Gregorio Escobedo, overwhelmed the resistance of the Royalist guards and arrested the Spanish authorities. Guayaquil declared independence from Spain, becoming the "Provincia Libre de Guayaquil".José Joaquín de Olmedo was namedJefe Civil of Guayaquil.
In 1860, the city was the site of theBattle of Guayaquil, the last of a series of military conflicts between the forces of the Provisional Government, led byGabriel García Moreno and GeneralJuan José Flores, and the forces of the Supreme Chief of Guayas, GeneralGuillermo Franco, whose government was recognized as possessing sovereignty over the Ecuadorian territory by Peruvian presidentRamón Castilla. Moreno's forces were victorious, countering Peruvian influence over Ecuador.[citation needed]
In 1896, large portions of the city were destroyed by a fire.[16]
On 8 July 1898, the Guayaquil City HallMuy Ilustre Municipalidad de Guayaquil officially recognized the anthem written by José Joaquín de Olmedo in 1821, with the music composed by Ana Villamil Ycaza in 1895, as theHimno al 9 de Octubre orCanción al Nueve de Octubre, most widely known now as theHimno a Guayaquil (Guayaquil Anthem).
In 1922, workers in the city went ona general strike lasting three days, ending after at least 300 people were killed by military and police.[citation needed]
In 2020, the city was hit hard by theCOVID-19 pandemic. Its medical and mortuary services were overwhelmed to the point where bodies lay in the streets.[17] Almost 6,000 more deaths were recorded in the first two weeks of April than the average for the same period in other years.[18]
Guayaquileños' main sources of income are formal and informal trade, business, agriculture and aquaculture. Most commerce consists ofsmall and medium businesses, adding an importantinformal economy occupation that gives thousands of guayaquileños employment.[19]
The Port of Guayaquil is Ecuador's most important commercial port; most international import and export merchandise passes through the Gulf of Guayaquil. As the largest city in the country,[20] most industries are located either in the city or its peripheral areas.
Guayaquil plays an important role in Ecuador's economy as the commercial heart of the country, and is also a vibrant, sprawling city, urban, cultural and touristic.[21] In recent years, the city has become a business and convention destination. Half a dozen skyscrapers give it the profile of a major city that continues to expand to the north and west. The city centre of Guayaquil is one of the most important tourist destinations,[22] as it is the oldest and most colonial part of the city. The Simón BolívarMalecón area is of great tourist interest and located close to the city centre. The Point, located in thePuerto Santa Ana district, is the largest building in Guayaquil and the whole of Ecuador. Another place of interest is theLas Peñas neighbourhood, where approximately 444 steps lead up to a viewpoint offering stunning city views.[23]
Here are some of the tourist attractions in Guayaquil:
Its geographical location makes it the gateway to the Galapagos Islands and it has won several World Travel Awards. These include: South America's Leading City Break Destination and South America's Leading Meetings and Conferences Destination.[37]
Guayaquil is a city that offers a wide variety of activities and events.[22] In addition to excursions or tours: shopping tours, gastronomic tours, religious tours, or tours in agritourism haciendas.[38] A good alternative to get to know the city are the free tours offered by the Municipality of Guayaquil.[39] Or also some of the self-guided tours[40] that are offered to get to know the city. There are also maps to get to know the city, including a digital map that can be downloaded and used to visit the city's tourist attractions.
As of 2020[update], Guayaquil's mayor wasCynthia Viteri. Viteri is the second elected female mayor in the city's history; the first was Elsa Bucaram in 1988. The previous mayor, Jaime Nebot, endorsed her. A campaign of construction projects for the city began in the early 2000s to attract tourism. The "urban regeneration" plan reconstructed the city's main tourist streets' sidewalks and upgraded the city's chaotic transit system with multiple infrastructure projects (speedways, bridges, overhead passages, tunnels, etc.).[41]
In August 2006, the city's first rapid transit bus system,Metrovía, opened to provide a quicker, high-capacity service. One of the main projects was calledMalecón 2000[maleˈkondosˈmil], the renovation of the waterfront promenade (malecón) along the Guayas River. Another project was the creation of the Nuevo Parque Histórico, a park in a housing development area that is calledEntre Ríos because it lies between the Daule and Babahoyo rivers (which merge to form the Guayas River) in amangrovewetland area. The park cost the city aboutUS$7 million.
In 2013, the national government led byRafael Correa built two pedestrian bridges connecting downtown Guayaquil, Santay Island, and the town of Durán, to allow people to makeecotourism trips and return the same day.
Guayaquil is the nation's largest city[42] and the capital of Guayas Province. It is on the Guayas River about 60 km (40 mi) north of the Gulf of Guayaquil, near the Equator.
Guayaquil faces major earthquake threats due to its soil stratigraphy and location on the ring of fire and the south of the North-Andean subduction zone.[43]
The city can be easily damaged by earthquakes as its weak and compressible soil is composed of deep soft sediments over hard rocks and deposits in a brackish environment. Also, the city itself is strongly affected by the subduction of the active Ecuadorian margin, an intraplate region where active faults locate; and the Guayaquil-Babahoyo strike-slip fault system, formed as the North Andean Block drifts northward.[44]
The tsunami threat is caused by the nearby Gulf of Guayaquil which also is one of the major locations on the Earth where earthquakes tend to happen all the time. It has complex tectonic features such as the Posorja and the Jambeli – two major east–west trending detachment systems; the Puna-Santa Clara northeast-southwest trending fault system; and the Domito north-south trending fault system; that have developed since the Pleistocene times. Tsunami threats are only predicted for coastal farming zones, not the main populated areas.[45][46]
Guayaquil, along with most of the coastal region, was impacted bythe 16 April 2016 earthquake of 7.8 magnitude. A bridge that was above a major artery, Avenida de las Americas, collapsed in the early evening on that day, killing two people.[citation needed]
Guayaquil features atropical savanna climate (Köppen:Aw). Between January and April, the climate is hot and humid with heavy rainfall, especially duringEl Niño years when it increases dramatically and flooding usually occurs. The rest of the year (from May through December), however, rainfall is minimal due to the cooling influence of theHumboldt Current, with usually cloudy mornings and afternoons, and evening breezes.
Ecuadorian ceviche, made of shrimp and lemon, onions, tomatoes and herbs. Tomato sauce, mustard and orange are used in some places, but does not form a part of the basic recipe.
Typical Guayaquil cuisine includes mostly seafood dishes such asencebollado,ceviche,cazuela, and encocado (shrimp or tuna with a coconut sauce and rice).
During breakfast,patacones and bolon (fried plantain with cheese mashed and given a rounded shape) play a big role. These plantain dishes are often accompanied with bistec de carne or encebollado de pescado.
Another prominent breakfast dish areempanadas "de viento" made with wheat flour and stretchy cheese or empanadas "de verde" plantain based with mozzarella cheese.
Pan de yuca similar topão de queijo usually served with "yogur persa" is a typical snack in Guayaquil. With the rise in middle eastern migration,shawarma shops dot the city.
Some other original dishes of Guayaquil are the plantain ball soup (based on peanuts and green plantains creating a green plantain ball filled with meat and other ingredients). Bollo, analogous tohallaca, is another typical dish of this city that also the main ingredient is the green plantain and seafood. Just to mention others are the biche, sango de mariscos, and arroz con pescado frito (rice with fried fish)
Arroz con menestra y carne asada (rice with stew and roast meat),churrasco, Guatita, Caldo de mondongo, Humitas, Maduro lampriado, Maduro con queso, Tripita, are some more dishes included in the great and diverse gastronomy of the city.
The city is the birthplace of Francisco Segura Cano; andAndrés Gómez andNicolás Lapentti, Ecuador's two most successful tennis players, now both retired. The "Abierto de Tenis Ciudad de Guayaquil" is a tennis tournament organised in Guayaquil by Gómez andLuis Morejon, and held annually in November.
The sports & Ecological Park called Parque Samanes de Guayaquil is a park with courts for soccer, tennis, volleyball, and basketball, two lakes, a soccer stadium and an amphi theatre for open air concerts and events. It is connected to a forest reserve with trails for cycling and walking, as well as installations forclimbing andzip-lining.
Among Guayaquil's major trading points are the seaport, the largest in Ecuador and one of the biggest handlers of shipping on the shores of the Pacific; andJosé Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport.
José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport, though using the same runways, had its passenger terminal completely rebuilt in 2006 and was renamed. The old passenger terminal is now a convention centre.[54]
Guayaquil is served by abus rapid transit system,Metrovia, which opened in 2006. The system has three lines and is supplemented by 35 feeder routes, carrying a total of 400,000 daily passengers.[55]
The Port of Guayaquil is one of the most important ports in Ecuador and a major port in South America. The port handles large amounts of cargo and is also a hub for transshipment to other countries in the Pacific region.[57]
Since the dissolution ofFARC and its drug trafficking business in Colombia, the port of Guayaquil has become one of the most important locations in thedrug trade in Latin America.[58] Ecuadorian gangs likeLos Choneros andLos Lobos commonly receive cocaine sold by groups in Colombia and are tasked with successfully distributing it to cartels in Mexico.[59][60] Cities that serve as gateways to Guayaquil likeDurán have seen sharply increased violence because of this.[61]
Responsible for port operation is the state Guayaquil Port Authority.[57]
^25 July is an official holiday in Guayaquil. Historians have not yet reached a consensus about the date of Guayaquil's foundation or founder. The city might have been founded more than once. Another possible founder might be Diego de Almagro.
^25 July 1538, OnThisDay.com. Accessed 6 August 2023.
^"Intercolonial Friction (1660—1700)", inWars of the Americas: A Chronology of Armed Conflict in the Western Hemisphere (ABC-CLIO, 2008) p. 308
^Carvajal, Ana María (10 de enero de 2019). «Quito se convirtió en la ciudad más poblada del Ecuador con más de 3 millones de habitantes en el 2018». El Comercio. Consultado el 11 de enero de 2019.
^Pheiffer, Evan (November 12, 2018)."E-Ecuador".The Business Year. RetrievedFebruary 4, 2020.
^«Quito es ahora la ciudad más poblada de Ecuador». El Telégrafo. 12 de enero de 2019. Archivado desde el original el 27 de marzo de 2019. Consultado el 12 de enero de 2019.
^Ioualalen, M.; Monfret, T.; Béthoux, N.; Chlieh, M.; Adams, G. Ponce; Collot, J.-Y.; Bustamante, C. Martillo; Chunga, K.; Navarrete, E. (May 9, 2014). "Tsunami mapping in the Gulf of Guayaquil, Ecuador, due to local seismicity".Marine Geophysical Research.35 (4):361–378.Bibcode:2014MarGR..35..361I.doi:10.1007/s11001-014-9225-9.ISSN0025-3235.S2CID128481376.
^Vera-Grunauer, X.; J.D., Bray; Pestana, J.M.; Kayen, R.; Tandazo, E.; Ramire, J.; Vera-Grunauer, J.G.; Mera-Ortiz, W. (2006)."Site Characterization and Seismic Zonation of Guayaquil City, Ecuador"(PDF). 8th US National Conference on Earthquake Engineering 2006, v 16, p 9672-9681. RetrievedNovember 13, 2016.
^Witt, César; Bourgois, Jacques (January 1, 2010). "Forearc basin formation in the tectonic wake of a collision-driven, coastwise migrating crustal block: The example of the North Andean block and the extensional Gulf of Guayaquil-Tumbes Basin (Ecuador-Peru border area)".Geological Society of America Bulletin.122 (1–2):89–108.Bibcode:2010GSAB..122...89W.doi:10.1130/B26386.1.ISSN0016-7606.
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