Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Esmeraldas
As capital of the 'Green Province' of the same name, Esmeraldas is a brisk concrete city
on Ecuador's Northern Pacific coast. Surrounded by the threatened Chocó rainforest, Es-
meraldas Province is definitely 'green' but due to the oil refinery business and the city's
reputation for crime, the capital itself is lackluster and seldom visited by travelers. The
best reason to travel to Esmeraldas is to use it as a jumping-off point for exploring some
of the country's most idyllic beaches, laid-back villages and complex cultures.
Located about 5 hours northwest of Quito and 8 north of Guayaquil, Esmeraldas serves as
an important port and business hub that profit off the fishing, oil and agriculture indus-
tries. It is also the wettest coastal city in Ecuador, so expect rain year-round. However,
seasons are distinguished as tropical monsoon (June to November) and tropical rain
(November to May) with the latter season holding a humidity of 100%. Tourists flock to
the area in January and February, when there is more sun, clearer skies and relatively less
rain. Unfortunately, the oil refinery in town adds a strong dose of pollution to the humid-
ity. If you want to be anywhere in Esmeraldas, it's the beach.
The city is best known as the country's capital of Afro-Ecuadorian culture, whose ancest-
ors originally arrived via a wrecked slaveship in 1533 while others bushwhacked through
the tangled mangroves of Colombia's jungle to freedom. Another migration of Africans
was forced, when the Spanish bought them as slaves during their attack on the Inca Em-
pire. Before their arrival the region was home to several indigenous groups, most notably
the Cayapas, Atacames and Tolas cultures that remained autonomous in the face of the
Inca conquest and eventually joined with the black community to fight off the Spanish
one. But when Bartolomé Ruiz arrived in search of the precious emerald gem that gives
the province its name, he would pave the way for a colonial era that lasted from 1521 to
1820, when independence was finally won.
The
mulattos
(or the people who descend from African, Indian and/or European ancestry)
who have inhabited the area since give the region its unique blend of indigenous customs,
Bambuco
music and multicultural food. Every May the Marimba Music Festival is held in
San Lorenzo, about 6 hours north of Esmeraldas (the trip is definitely worth it if you're a
music fan.) Most Afro-Ecuadorians are
Esmeraldeños
or spring from them generationally,
altogether counting for about 6% of the country's ethnic makeup.
When you're not lounging on the beach or eating one of Esmeraldas' traditional coconut,
seafood and peanut dishes, the city offers a few memorable attractions that shouldn't be
missed. First is the
Esmeraldas Cultural Center
(Bolávar 427 and Piedrahíta) which has
everything you need to know about the region's history and archeology via a museum, lib-
rary and bookstore. Each night, a neighborhood youth ensemble puts on a marimba music
and dance show in the center, but be ready to join in when one of them takes your hand!
The new
Centro Artesenal
(Malecón Maldonado and Plaza Cívica) is where local artisans
