Guayaquil

Guayaquil stands on the Guayas River, where the waterways of the coastal lowlands come together before reaching the Pacific. Its position made it both a port and a shipbuilding centre, drawing on the timber of the surrounding country and the produce carried downriver. Cacao grown in the Guayas basin became the foundation of a flourishing trade, binding the city to ports throughout the Spanish Pacific.

The Spanish established Guayaquil during the 1530s. Colonial shipyards built vessels ranging from small craft to ships for the South Sea fleet, while merchants shipped the products of the coast overseas. Prosperity also brought danger: in 1687 English and French buccaneers attacked and plundered the town, taking captives for ransom. The city was later moved to a more defensible site downstream. Its shipyards continued to draw workers and materials from a wide hinterland, and the port remained a principal point of contact between the coast and the larger Pacific world. During the late eighteenth century, the relaxation of restrictions on trade helped cacao exports rise sharply, enriching planters and merchants in the river basin.

On 9 October 1820, civilians and soldiers overthrew the Spanish authorities with little bloodshed and proclaimed independence. José Joaquín de Olmedo became a leading figure in the new government. In 1822 Simón Bolívar and José de San Martín met at Guayaquil as the struggle for independence continued farther south.