Santiago de Guayaquil, or just Guayaquil, is a city bathed by a marshy river called Guayas, with bohemian neighborhoods, hills of beautiful houses and a renovated and pleasant sea wall. Located in the coast of the Pacific Ocean, it is the most populated and largest city of the Republic of Ecuador.
Unlike Quito, which is located at a height of almost 3000 meters above sea level, Guayaquil is a coastal city. The port of the city is one of the most important on the eastern Pacific coast. In fact, thanks to its position as a commercial center, the city is traditionally known as the economic capital of the country, due to the number of companies, factories and commercial shops that can be found there.
Malecon 2000 is one of the most interesting places to visit in this Ecuadorian city. It is considered a worldwide model, and it has been declared a ‘healthy public space’ by the World Health Organization. The gardens of the Malecon are beautiful and colorful. At the same time, they are also an interesting place to visit for naturists, as more than 350 native plant species can be found in these marvelous gardens.
In front of the Guayas River and with more than 10.000m2, distributed in three floors and 11.000 m2 of outdoor areas, the MAAC is part of the architectural complex called Malecón 2000. There is a collection of 50,000 Ecuadorian native archeological pieces and more than 3,000 modern pieces of art.
This zone of Guayaquil is very charming, plenty of colorful houses with the marvelous Colonial architectural style. In Las Peñas you will find many art galleries and venues where there is live music at night.
Most buildings in downtown Guayaquil have a very attractive and utilitarian feature, called ‘soportales’. These are colonnades or arcades that provide protection to pedestrians from the Equatorial sun and torrential rains. These are worthy of study and imitation by architects from other parts of the world.
In contrast with these small houses and streets, there is a very close zone called Cerro Santa Ana, also called Cerrito Verde or Loninchao. It is one of the most emblematic places of the city, with the statue of their founder, Francisco de Orellana.
If you want to take extraordinary photos of Guayaquil, you have to visit the natural viewpoint of the city. It takes some effort to go upstairs more than 400 steps, but it is worthy not only for the views but also for the route itself, very beautiful.
Cemeteries are not a popular place normally, but this cemetery is specially beautiful and interesting, also called the ‘white city’ of Guayaquil. Among the architectural styles that can be found along these elegant mausoleums, there are the most classic such as the baroque, greek-roman, moorish , etc. which are spread out on the 15 hectares surface.
Guayaquil has many other great attractions, such as Iguana´s Park, The 9 de Octubre Boulevard, Square and Church “San Francisco”, Culture House Museum, Centenario Park, etc.
Come to Guayaquil and discover this colorful and historic city!
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