Sights in Guayaquil
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Parque Bolívar
Guayaquil may be the only city in the world that has land iguanas, some over a meter in length, living downtown. These prehistoric-looking animals, a different species from those found in the Galápagos, are a startling sight in one of Guayaquil's most famous plazas, Parque Bolívar which is also known as Parque Seminario. Around its small ornamental gardens are many of Guayaquil's first-class hotels. On the west side of the park is the cathedral, and a block south you'll find the Museo Municipal and the municipal library. The archaeology room on the ground floor has mainly Inca and pre-Inca ceramics, and several figurines from the oldest culture in Ecuador, the Valdivia (c…
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Parque Histórico Guayaquil
Historic Williamsburg meets the zoo at this large park across the Guayaquil–Durán bridge, on the east side of Río Daule. The park is divided into three ‘zones’: the Endangered Wildlife Zone, which has 45 species of bird, animal and reptile in a seminatural habitat; the Urban Architecture Zone, which has a restaurant and showcases the development of early-20th-century architecture in Guayaquil; and the Traditions Zone, which focuses on local traditions, with an emphasis on rural customs, crafts and agriculture.
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Malecón 2000
Malecón 2000, one of the most extensive urban-renewal projects in South America, is made up of ponds, playgrounds, sculptures, gardens and river views. From its southernmost point at the Mercado Sur to Cerro Santa Ana and Las Peñas in the north, the malecón stretches 2.5km along the bank of the wide Río Guayas. It’s a gated, policed public space with restaurants, a museum, a performance space, an IMAX movie theater and a shopping mall.
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Las Peñas & Cerro Santa Ana
These two historic neighborhoods have been refurbished into an idealized version of a quaint South American hillside village, all brightly painted homes and cobblestone alleyways. If you peek inside an open door or window, however, you realize it's a bit of a Potemkin village that's not entirely sanitized as residents still live their everyday lives as they would elsewhere in the city.
Everyone strolling the Malecón ends up here, especially at night when the views from the top are spectacular. There are several stylish and attractive bars, and it's completely safe - though one of the friendly security officers may stop you for walking up or down the wrong side of the stee…
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Malecón El Salado & Rodolfo Baquerizo Moreno Plaza
Like its more famous sister development on the Río Guayas to the east, the Malecón El Salado is an attempt to reclaim the city's waterfront for the everyday use of its residents. There are several eateries and cafés in a streamlined modern mall-like building along the estuary and a walkway above.
Previously known as the Guayaquil Park, the large square just south of the Malecón, now called the Rodolfo Baquerizo Moreno Plaza, is dominated by a large modernist structure, and expositions and events are held here periodically. A series of gardens, playgrounds and manicured public walkways, collectively called Parque Lineal, is being constructed on the other side of the wat…
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Jardín Botánico de Guayaquil
About a half-hour drive north of town near Cerro Colorado, this botanical garden has over 80 orchid varieties and nearly 700 plant species. Paths and trails lead you past the plant exhibits and tropical birds flutter overhead. There is a gift shop, café, butterfly garden and an auditorium.
Insect repellent is recommended in the rainy months. With a few days' advance notice, a guided tour can be arranged.
The most efficient way of getting there is to take a taxi and ask for Urbanización de Los Orquídeas. Chasquitur offers tours and has information.
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Museo Municipal
A block south of Parque Bolívar, you find the Museo Municipal and the municipal library. The archaeology room on the ground floor has mainly Inca and pre-Inca ceramics, and several figurines from the oldest culture in Ecuador, the Valdivia (c 3200 BC). Also on the ground floor is a colonial room with mainly religious paintings and a few period household items. Upstairs, there is a jumble of modern art and ethnography rooms with regional costumes, handicrafts and several shrunken heads.
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Church of San Francisco
The Church of San Francisco, originally built in the early 18th century, was burnt down in the devastating fire of 1896 that destroyed huge swathes of the city, then reconstructed in 1902 and beautifully restored in the late 1990s. The plaza in front contains Guayaquil’s first public monument, a statue of Vicente Rocafuerte, Ecuador’s first native president, who held office between 1835 and 1839. (Ecuador’s first president, Juan Flores, was a Venezuelan.)
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Parque Histórico Guayaquil
Historic Williamsburg meets the zoo at this large park across the Guayaquil-Durán bridge. It's divided into three zones: the Endangered Wildlife Zone, which has 45 species of birds, animals and reptiles; the Urban Architecture Zone, which has a restaurant and showcases the development of early 20th-century architecture in Guayaquil; and the Traditions Zone, which focuses on local traditions with an emphasis on customs, crafts and agriculture.
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La Rotonda
La Rotonda is one of Guayaquil's more impressive monuments, particularly when illuminated at night. Flanked by small mountains, it depicts the historic but enigmatic meeting between Bolívar and San Martín that took place here in 1822. Few people realize that the curved wall behind the statue acts as an acoustic reflector - if two people stand at either end, a whisper into the wall will be carried along to the other person.
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Jardín Botánico de Guayaquil
About a half-hour drive north of town near Cerro Colorado, this botanical garden has more than 80 orchid varieties and nearly 700 plant species. Paths and trails lead you past the plant exhibits and tropical birds flutter overhead. There is a gift shop, a café, a butterfly garden and an auditorium. Insect repellent is recommended in the rainy months. With a few days’ advance notice, a guided tour can be arranged.
reviewed
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Museo Antropológico y Arte Contemporáneo
The modern Museo Antropológico y Arte Contemporáneo houses anthropological and archeological exhibits as well as a superb collection of contemporary Ecuadorian art. MAAC also has a modern 400-seat theater for plays, concerts and film. Behind the museum is an open-air stage, where musical and theatrical performances are occasionally given. If you're peckish at interval, there's a food court next door.
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Numa Pompillo Llona
This historic street is named after the guayaquileño (1832-1907) who wrote the national anthem. Narrow and winding, it has several unobtrusive plaques set into the walls of some houses, indicating the simple residences of past presidents. The colonial wooden architecture has been allowed to age elegantly, albeit with a gloss of paint. It's a dead-end street, so you get to see everything twice.
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Olmedo monument
Just north of the Mercado Sur is the Olmedo monument honoring José Joaquín de Olmedo (1780-1847) an Ecuadorian poet and the president of the first Ecuadorian territory independent of Spanish rule. Just to the north, outside the Malecón's blue fence, is the sprawling street market known as La Bahía where you can pick up everything from underwear to DVDs of the Latin Grammy awards.
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Museo Antropológico y de Arte Contemporáneo
Marking the end of riverfront is the modern Museo Antropológico y de Arte Contemporáneo, a museum of anthropology, archaeology and (most importantly for the average visitor) a superb and well-curated collection of contemporary Ecuadorian art. MAAC also has a modern 400-seat theater (230-9400; www.maaccine.com; admission $2) for plays, concerts and films.
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Cathedral
On the west side of Parque Bolívar is the cathedral. The original building on this site dates from 1547, but - as is common with most of Guayaquil's original wooden buildings - it burnt down. The present structure was completed in 1948 and renovated in 1978. The front entrance is extremely ornate, but inside it is simple, high-vaulted and modern.
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Museo Presley Norton
A few blocks south of the Plaza Rodolfo Baquerizo Moreno is the Museo Presley Norton, an impressive collection of archaeological artifacts, including pottery and figurines made by the original settlers of Ecuador, housed in a beautifully restored ornate mansion. It occasionally hosts film screenings and live music.
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Parque del Centenario
This plaza, found along 9 de Octubre, is the largest in Guayaquil and marks the midway point between the Río Guayas and the Estero Salado. It's four square city blocks of manicured gardens, benches and monuments, the most important of which is the central Liberty column surrounded by the founding fathers of the country.
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City Cemetery
Incorporated into the city landscape, this cemetery contains hundreds of above-ground tombs stacked atop one another (resembling a pint-sized apartment complex more than a final resting place). A walkway leads to several monuments and huge mausoleums, including the eerily impressive grave of President Vicente Pocafuerte.
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Mercado Sur
Built in 1907, the handsome, steel Mercado Sur is a Belgian-designed covered market and was once the biggest marketplace in Guayaquil. Sometimes called the Crystal Palace, it has been restored with giant glass walls and is periodically filled with art and commercial exhibitions.
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Clock Tower
Where 10 de Agosto hits the malecón you’ll see the famous Moorish-style clock tower, which originally dates from 1770 but has been replaced several times. The 23m-high tower is open to visitors to climb the narrow spiral staircase inside.
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City Cemetery
Incorporated into the city landscape a short ride from the center is this cemetery containing hundreds of above-ground tombs stacked atop one another so that it resembles a mini apartment complex rather than a final resting place.
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Palacio Municipal
Across the street from the clock tower is the Palacio Municipal, an ornate, gray building that is separated from the simple and solid Palacio de Gobierno by a small but pleasant pedestrian mall. The building dates from the 1920s.
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Church of La Merced
The Church of La Merced dates from 1938 and has a richly decorated golden altar; the original wooden church built in 1787, like most of Guayaquil’s colonial buildings, was destroyed by fire.
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Museo Nahim Isaias
A few blocks away in the Plaza de Administración building is the Museo Nahim Isaias, which exhibits an excellent collection of sculptures, paintings and artifacts of the colonial period.
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