GUAYAQUIL, or Santiago de Guayaquil, the principal seaport of the republic of Ecuador, South America, is situated on the western bank of the Guayaquil river, about 20 miles from its mouth, in 2° 12' 24" S. lat. and 79° 51' 24" W. long. The site forms part of a low and level tract of ground bounded on the north by the hills of Santa Ana; and the streets are for the most part laid out with great regularity. To the north lies the old town, mainly inhabited by the poorer classes; to the south the new town. As the houses are generally built of wood or bamboo and mud, the risk of conflagrations is unusually great; and a strong fire-brigade is maintained. Since 1870 the town has been drained, the river has been dredged, and an abundant supply of good water has been brought from a distance. The principal streets are lighted with gas. None of the public buildings are of any architectural interest. All the churches, with the exception of Santo Domingo, are built of wood. There are two colleges (San Vicente and San Ygnacio), a civil hospital (De la Caridad), a new and commodious military hospital, municipal buildings, and a custom-house....
As its harbour is one of the best on the Pacific coast, and permits vessels of large tonnage to come up to the town, Guayaquil is the centre of the foreign trade not only of Ecuador but of part of Peru, and has regular steamship communication both with American and European ports. Bamboos, cocoa, coffee, hides, india-rubber, ivory-nuts, orchilla, and Panama hats are the staple articles tor the outgoing cargoes; and there is a demand for pine apples, oranges, and other fresh fruits for Chili and Peru. The average value of the exports in the five years from 1867 to 1871 was £520,785; and the value of the imports increased from £434,860 in 1867 to £1,168,656 in 1871. In 1876 there entered 79 British vessels, other 57 foreign vessels, and 30 national vessels, with a tonnage respectively of 118,560, 25,979, and 2222. One of the greatest hindrances to a development of the export trade is the want of proper roads from the interior. It is only recently that the carriage road to Quito has been completed. Below the town there is a large astillero or shipbuilding yard of great repute on the Pacific coast. The Guayaquil bank, with a capital of $1,000,000 in native currency, dates from 1868, and the Banco de Credito Hipotecario, with a capital of $500,000, from 1872. The population of the town is from 20,000 to 22,000, mainly mulattos, mestizos, and Indians.
Santiago de Guayaquil was so called because it was founded on St James’s Day, 25th July 1531. Declared a city by Charles V. ou October 6, 1535, it was officially constituted the same year by Balalcazar; and two years later it was restored by Francesco Orellana. In the course of the 17th and 18th centuries the main facts in its history are the attacks of pirates and disasters by fire. The Dutchman Jacob Clerk was the assailant in 1624, the Frenchman David in 1686-7, William Dampierre in 1707, and Clapperton in 1709. As late as 1741 the only defences were three indifferent forts in the river; but in 1763 the town was made the seat of a governor, and a good castle and other fortifications were constructed. The following year a great fire destroyed property to the value of 2,000,000 pesos. In 1837 Guayaquil was made the see of a bishop.
See Villavicencio, Geographia del Ecuador.
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