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Guayaquil
Santiago de Guayaquil, or just Guayaquil , is the largest and the most populous city in Ecuador, as well as that nation's main port. Guayaquil is on the west margin of the Guayas River, which flows into the Gulf of Guayaquil in the Pacific Ocean. Guayaquil is at 2.21S 79.90W, about 250 km south-southwest of the capital of Ecuador, Quito. According to the most recent census (2001), its population was 3,189,865. However, the estimated metropolitan population was 3,848,250.
Guayaquil is the capital of the Ecuadorian province of Guayas and the seat of the namesake canton. (In Ecuador, a canton (canton) is a second-order subnational entity below a first-order province.)
The city is the center of Ecuador's fishing and manufacturing industries.
The city's new airport, Jose Joaquin de Olmedo International Airport , though using the same runways, had its passenger terminal completely rebuilt in 2006 and was renamed. The old passenger terminal is now a conference center.
History
Guayaquil was founded on July 25 (see note below), 1538 with the name Muy Noble y Muy Leal Ciudad de Santiago de Guayaquil by Spanish Conquistador Francisco de Orellana. Even before it was founded by the Spanish, it already existed as a native village.
Note - July 25 is the legal 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.
In 1600 Guayaquil had a population of about 2,000 people; by 1700 the city had a population of over 10,000.
In 1687, Guayaquil was attacked and looted by English and French pirates under the command of George d'Hout (English) and Picard and Groniet (Frenchmen). Of the more than 260 pirates, 35 died and 46 were wounded; 75 defenders of the city died and more than 100 were wounded. The pirates took local women as concubines. Quito paid the ransom demanded by the pirates with the condition they release the hostages and not burn Guayaquil.
In 1709, the English captains Woodes Rogers, Etienne Courtney, and William Dampier along with 110 other pirates, looted Guayaquil and demanded ransom; however, they suddenly departed without collecting the ransom after an epidemic of yellow fever broke out.
In October 9, 1820, almost without bloodshed, a group of civilians supported by soldiers from the "Granaderos de Reserva", a Peruvian battalion quartered in Guayaquil, overwhelmed the resistance of the Royalist guards and arrested the Spanish authorities. Guayaquil declared independence from Spain and Jose Joaquin de Olmedo was named Jefe Civil (Civil Chief) of Guayaquil. This would prove to be a key victory for the Ecuadorian War of Independence.
On July 26, 1822, Jose de San Martin and Simon Bolivar held a famous conference in Guayaquil to plan for the independence of Spanish South America.
The city suffered from a major fire in 1896 which destroyed large portions of the city.
The city has been invaded by the Peruvian Military on two occasions: in 1829 and 1860.
Guayaquil at present
The Guayaquil of today continues its tradition of trade, and now is in the process of a fundamentally economic bet on tourism. This is reflected by changes in the ornamentation of the city and an improvement in the self-esteem of the citizens. This process has taken years, comprising the last two municipal administrations. Despite having few historic buildings, renovations and expansions of levees, squares, parks, and some districts have turned to Guayaquil into a national and international tourist destination. It is now a headquarters for fairs and international events.
The main source of income guayaquilenos are formal and informal trade, business, agriculture and aquaculture; trade in the vast majority of the population consists of SMB s micro s, adding an important informal economy occupation that gives thousands of guayaquilenos. Guayaquil y como el mercado siempre aparece: El retorno de los informales, Diario Expreso Despite this Guayaquil is city with the highest rate of unemployment (about 40% of the economically active population and unemployment (about 11% of the economically active population ) of Ecuador.
Guayaquil maintains an infrastructure for import and export of products with international standards. Among its major trading bridges are: the Seaport, the main in Ecuador and one of the biggest influx of shipping on the shores of the Pacific and Jose Joaquin de Olmedo International Airport. Additionally, it has an infrastructure of roads to other cities and provinces, which are considered the best in the country.
Ongoing projects seek urban regeneration as a principal objective to the growth of the city's commercial helmets, the increase of capital produces imcome. These projects in the city driven by the recent mayors have achieved this goal after investing large sums of money. The current municipal administration aims to convert Guayaquil in a place for first-class international tourism and business multinationals.
Government
Guayaquil's current mayor (alcalde) is Jaime Nebot , a well-known member of the political party Partido Social Cristiano. Jaime Nebot began a campaign of construction projects for the city in the late 1990s to attract tourism, that included the "urban regeneration", which reconstructed the city in all levels including sidewalks, parks, sewer system, it took the power and telephone lines underground, it saw a lot of reconstruction of the city's chaotic transit system with the construction of multiple infrastructures .
In August 2006, the city's first bus rapid transit system, Metrovia, opened to provide a quicker, high-capacity service. One of the main projects was called Malecon 2000 , the renovation of the breakwater (malecon) along the Guayas River with the addition of a boardwalk in 2000. Another project was the creation of the Nuevo Parque Historico, a park in a housing development area that is called Entre Rios because it lies between the Daule and Babahoyo rivers (which confluence to form the Guayas river), in a mangrove wetland area. The park cost the city about 7 million dollars. It is a refuge for fauna and a zone of historical-architecture preservation, and has a traditions-and-history exhibition center. The idea of the creation of this park came from Ecuador's central bank in 1982, as part of their "Rescate Arquitectonico" ("Architectural Rescue") program.
Demographics
According to the most recent census (2001), its population was 1.985.379.
Food
Typical Guayaquil cuisine includes encebollado (a seafood soup),Ceviche any type of seafood soup, arroz con menestra y carne (rice and beans with grilled or fried beef) [*], patacones (twice-fried plantain slices), and pan de yuca (bread made from cassava), and Yapingachos patato fried with cheese.
Artists
Ecuador is known for its artists and its place in art history. Many of them were born in Guayaquil, such as:
Felix Arauz
Xavier Blum Pinto
Theo Constante
Araceli Gilbert
Julio Jaramillo
Luis Lara
Luis Molinari
Enrique Tabara
Jorge Velarde
Rony Vera
Juan Villafuerte
Jaime Villa
Other notable people
Other famous people from Guayaquil include:
animator Mike Judge;
poets Jose Joaquin de Olmedo and Adalberto Ortiz,
Federico Ashton, dancer and choreographer
pioneer of theater/radio/film and famous actor and director Paco Villar,
scholar Benjamin Urrutia,
former world's oldest person Maria Capovilla
violinist Jorge Saade
operatic soprano Beatriz Parra Durango,
rapper Gerardo Mejia, made famous during the early 90s for his song "Rico Suave",
tennis player Pancho Segura who in 1950 and 1952 was the world's Co-No. 1 player,
Andres Gomez, who won the ATP Championship of Roland Garros in Paris, France in 1990,
the mother of spoken word poet Emanuel Xavier
Religious buildings
Guayaquil has a cathedral and many other Roman Catholic churches. There is a temple and many chapels of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Many other faiths and religions are represented throughout the city.
Sports
There are two major soccer clubs. The Barcelona Sporting Club and the Club Sport Emelec. Both clubs have their own stadiums, The Estadio Monumental Isidro Romero Carbo is the home of the "Barcelonistas" while the Estadio George Capwell is the home of the "Emeleccistas". These two teams have a long history of rivalry in Guayaquil and when these two teams play against each other the game is called "El Clasico del Astillero". (Emelec is short for "Empresa Electrica" - the team is sponsored by the electric power company.)
The city is also the home of Nicolas Lapentti, an active tennis player that is top 100 at the Current ATP Race.
The "Abierto de Tenis Ciudad de Guayaquil" is a tennis tournament organized in Guayaquil every year by Andres Gomez and Luis Morejon in November of every year.
Another major event in the city is the Guayaquil Marathon, organized by DM3, which is held every year on the first weekend of October since 2005. These race is certified by the (AIMS)Association of International Marathons and Distance Races.
Universities
Some of Guayaquil's main universities are:
Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral
Universidad de Especialidades Espiritu Santo UEES
Universidad Catolica de Santiago de Guayaquil
Universidad Laica Vicente Rocafuerte
IGACD-Institute of Graphics Arts and Digital Science
Notable Places
The Malecon 2000 is a restoration project of the historic Simon Bolivar Pier. It will be a symbolic center of the city, a mix of green areas and shopping.
The Palacio Municipal is located in front of the Malecon and holds the political offices of city and provincial officials. Built in a neoclassical style, it is considered one of the most important architectural works in the country.
Las Penas Neighborhood in the northeast corner of the city's center, is the artistic center of the city. Many of the area's 400-year-old houses have been converted into art galleries and several notable artists have studios in the area.
The Mercado Artesanal is the largest artisan market in the city. The market is housed in a 240-shop building that takes up the entire block of Baquerizo Avenue, between the streets Loja and Juan Montalvo. Its many vendors sell indigenous crafts, jewelry, and paintings.
Parque Centenario is located on the street 9 de Octubre, between Lorenzo de Garaycoa and Quito. This is the largest park downtown, occupying four city blocks. It offers shady refuge from the equatorial sun, with large trees arching over the walkways and lawns. A large Statue of Liberty dominates the central area of the park.
Parque Seminario (also known as Parque de Las Iguanas or Iguana Park) located on 10 de Agosto Avenue and Chile, is home to many iguanas, some of which approach 5 feet in length. Tourists and locals alike often feed the iguanas mango slices from park vendors. There is also a pond filled with colorful Japanese Tilapia. An equestrian statue of Simon Bolivar is located in the center of the park.
Bahia is a popular marketplace for toys, clothing, electronic goods, DVDs, and CDs.
Sister cities
Guayaquil has city partnerships with the following cities and/or regions:
Since 2001: Shanghai, People's Republic of China
See also
Ecuador
Quito
List of urban parishes in Guayaquil
Jose Joaquin de Olmedo International Airport
External links
Guayaquil Webcam showing the "Puente de la Unidad Nacional"
Short Documentary on OneWorldTV about Youth workers and gang culture in Guayaquil
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Guayaquil
