Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Guayaquil and the Southern Coast
Guayaquil
Like a metropolis nostalgic for a former glory, Guayaquil's broad streets are lined by
chipped buildings raised by colonnades through which heaving Cadillacs past their heyday
race in the shade of palm tree after palm tree, hugging the Guayas River and probably
passing a red light or two. This is Guayaquil: handsome, wild and pulsing with energy.
After the Spanish conquered Guayaquil in 1534, the peaceful pre-Inca
Huancavilca
village
became plagued by English and French pirate attacks thereafter, and some remnants of that
era still scatter the city. In 1820 civilians staged a mostly nonviolent uprising under the dir-
ection of poet José Joaquín de Olmedo and finally gained independence from their Spanish
rulers. Since then, Guayaquil has acted as a notorious hotseat of tense political debate and
action.
But it would seem that the city's glory days are now ahead of it, after struggling to recover
from years of sanitation problems, lack of public space, crime, poverty and pollution, the
government finally took a stand and at the turn of the millennium, began to invest in major
urban renewal projects to change the face of Guayaquil. Essentially, it made a comeback.
As Ecuador's largest and most populated city, over 2 million
Guayaquileños
shuffle for
space in its vivacious humidity. It serves as the nation's main port, settled between the
Guayas River and the Pacific Ocean just miles away. The city revels in a tropical savanna
climate with long spells of rain from January to April and cool, dry evenings for the re-
mainder of the year. The army of mosquitoes and ants that call the city home are almost
plague-worthy.
Guayaquil's ambience like most other places is overwhelmingly characterized by its cli-
mate. As a tropical city its people dress colorfully, act warmly, speak loudly and with lots
of emotion. Whereas the cold capital of Quito is known for its reserved, even conservative
population, Guayaquil's laid-back liberal attitude shines through its inhabitants, too. Zesty
music blares from everywhere and on the streets, people are either selling stuff or eating -
because food in Guayaquil is too good and cheap to not be eating it all the time. The local
economy is largely supported by a wealth of independent, family-run businesses.
