Caran

Caran stands at the bay of Caráquez on the coast of Manabí, where the estuary opens onto the Pacific. The area was a centre of the Indigenous Caras before the Spanish conquest and later became the seat of a colonial jurisdiction. Its sheltered waters attracted plans for a port that would give Quito another outlet to the sea.

Early in the seventeenth century the president of the Audiencia of Quito, Antonio de Morga, promoted a road to the bay and the establishment of a port. José de Larrazábal carried the scheme forward, but merchants in Guayaquil opposed a rival outlet. In 1629 the viceroy ordered the port abandoned and its overland route closed, curtailing an ambitious attempt to redirect trade across the coast.

The later city of Portoviejo lies here.