Guayaquil (), officially Santiago de Guayaquil, is the capital of Guayas Province and the seat of Guayaquil Canton. It is the largest city in Ecuador and also the nation's economic capital and main port. The city is located on the west bank of the Guayas River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Guayaquil.
With a population of more than 3,000,000, it is the most populous city in the country, the fifth largest in the Andean Community. However, its urban fabric extends beyond its official urban parishes, encompassing nearby cities and parishes, making it the most populous urban agglomeration in the nation, and fifth in the Andean Community. As the largest city, it is one of the two main development poles of the country—alongside Quito, the national capital—hosting Ecuador's main business, financial, cultural, and sports institutions.
After several failed founding attempts, it was definitively established in July 25, 1535 under the name "Santiago de Guayaquil" as a shipyard and port for trade in service of the Spanish Empire. From that moment, it became a key hub in the economy of the Spanish colony and later of the nation. Guayaquil has been the site of major revolutions and uprisings throughout its history, being the first Ecuadorian city to definitively achieve its independence from Spain in October 9, 1820. It later served as the capital of the Free Province of Guayaquil, which was subsequently annexed to Gran Colombia. Since 1830, it has been part of the Republic of Ecuador, playing a significant economic and political role.
Guayaquil stands out among Ecuadorian 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.
Nomenclature The origin of the name Santiago de Guayaquil has been much discussed, although 'Guayaquil' is pre-Hispanic. Since the founding of the city by the Spanish in 1534, it has been linked to the name of Santiago in memory of its patron saint, St James, apostle of Christ. He is also designated as patron saint of several other Spanish American colonial cities, such as Santiago de Chile, as he is of Spain.Avilés Pino; Hoyos Galarza, Historia de Guayaquil, p. 11.
A theory based on a romantic legend, transmitted orally, attributes the name Guayaquil to the joining of the name of a leader named Guayas and of his wife Quil. 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.Correa Bustamante, p. 120.
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.
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. 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 the chonos, people whose archeological name (in Spanish) is Cultura Milagro-Quevedo.
After several location changes and fires, the city was founded in 1547, 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 of Santiago de Guayaquil is seldom used outside of official contexts.
History
Guayaquil was founded on 25 July 153825 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. by Spanish conqueror Francisco de Orellana in the location of a native village. He named it as ("Most Noble and Most Loyal City of Santiago de Guayaquil").25 July 1538, OnThisDay.com. Accessed 6 August 2023.
On 20 April 1687, Guayaquil was attacked and looted by English and French pirates under the command of George Dew (English), and Picard and Groniet (French)."Intercolonial Friction (1660—1700)", in Wars of the Americas: A Chronology of Armed Conflict in the Western Hemisphere (ABC-CLIO, 2008) p. 308 Of more than 260 pirates, 35 were killed and 46 were wounded; 75 defenders of the city died and more than 100 were wounded.
In 1709, English captains including Woodes Rogers and William Dampier, along with a crew of 110, looted Guayaquil and demanded ransom. But they departed suddenly and without collecting the ransom after an epidemic of yellow fever broke out.
In colonial times Guayaquil was the chief Spanish shipyard in the Pacific, although some navigators considered that Valdivia (now in Chile) had better conditions.
Guayaquil was a stopover point in the commerce between Asia and Latin America conducted via Philippines-based Manila galleons. The trade route had links to Acapulco in present-day Mexico and terminated with a node in Callao, Peru., p. 144
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 called . The owners held them legally but the slaves had "considerable independence" in exchange for paying their owners a fee (the ) every day. Such enslaved Native Americans, such as María 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.
By the turn of the nineteenth century, slaves had fought for their freedom in increasing numbers. Together they formed a social group known as the .
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 named of Guayaquil.
Departing from Guayaquil, General Antonio José de Sucre, sent by Simón Bolivar and supported by a division promised by José de San Martín, led the allied independence army in the Battle of Pichincha. His victory confirmed the independence of the Gran Colombia and also what would become the future Republic of Ecuador.
On 26 July 1822, generals José de San Martín and Simón Bolívar held a meeting in Guayaquil to plan how to complete achieving the independence of Perú and, with it, all of Spanish South America. In 1829, the city was invaded by the Peruvian Army, which occupied it for seven months.
In 1860, the city was the site of the Battle of Guayaquil, the last of a series of military conflicts between the forces of the Provisional Government, led by Gabriel García Moreno and General Juan José Flores, and the forces of the Supreme Chief of Guayas, General Guillermo Franco, whose government was recognized as possessing sovereignty over the Ecuadorian territory by Peruvian president Ramón Castilla. Moreno's forces were victorious, countering Peruvian influence over Ecuador.
In 1896, large portions of the city were destroyed by a fire.
On 8 July 1898, the Guayaquil City Hall officially recognized the anthem written by José Joaquín de Olmedo in 1821, with the music composed by Ana Villamil Ycaza in 1895, as the or , most widely known now as the (Guayaquil Anthem).
In 1922, workers in the city went on a general strike lasting three days, ending after at least 300 people were killed by military and police.
In 2020, the city was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Its medical and mortuary services were overwhelmed to the point where bodies lay in the streets. Almost 6,000 more deaths were recorded in the first two weeks of April than the average for the same period in other years.
Economy
Guayaquileños''' main sources of income are formal and informal trade, business, agriculture and aquaculture. Most commerce consists of small and medium businesses, adding an important informal economy occupation that gives thousands of guayaquileños employment."Guayaquil y como el mercado siempre aparece: El retorno de los 'informales'", Diario Expreso. Accessed 6 August 2023.
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,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. most industries are located either in the city or its peripheral areas.
Tourism 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. 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, as it is the oldest and most colonial part of the city. The Simón Bolívar Malecón area is of great tourist interest and located close to the city centre. The Point, located in the Puerto Santa Ana district, is the largest building in Guayaquil and the whole of Ecuador. Another place of interest is the Las Peñas neighbourhood, where approximately 444 steps lead up to a viewpoint offering stunning city views.
Here are some of the tourist attractions in Guayaquil:
Torre Morisca. Malecon 2000. Seminario Park or Iguana Park. Las Peñas neighbourhood. Guayaquil Cathedral. Governor's Palace. City hall of Guayaquil. Plaza de la Administracion La Rotonda hemicycle. Puerto Santa Ana. MAAC. Nahim Isaias Museum. Puerto Santa Ana 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.
Guayaquil is a city that offers a wide variety of activities and events. In addition to excursions or tours: shopping tours, gastronomic tours, religious tours, or tours in agritourism haciendas. A good alternative to get to know the city are the free tours offered by the Municipality of Guayaquil. Or also some of the self-guided tours 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.
Government
, Guayaquil's mayor was Cynthia 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.).