Guayaquil

On an  Ecuador vacation, the country’s largest and most populous city is Guayaquil, located on the western bank of the Guayas River. Serving as the country’s main port, Guayaquil is Ecuador’s principle commercial and manufacturing centre.

Before a settlement was established by the Spanish Conquistador Francisco de Orellano in 1538, the region that Guayaquil covered was a native village. Its location meant that it was a target for pirates during the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1820, a group of civilians and soldiers from the ‘Granaderos de Reserva‘ defeated the Royalist guards’ resistance (almost without bloodshed) to declare independence from Spain. This victory would later be viewed as key in the Ecuadorian War of Independence. The city became part of the Republic of Ecuador in 1830. A fire devastated a great part of the city in 1869 and as a result, there are few colonial buildings today. Instead, Guayaquil offers a more modern and contemporary vibe than another Ecuadorian cities.