2006-05-29 09:35:41 -0700
santiago de guayaquil
the city of guayaquil , the island city of durán , santay .
water is ever present . the guayas and daule rivers define the eastern boundary . the salado (salty) estuary and its many bridges criss-cross the new town . a number of hills puctuate the fabric of the city . the old town occupied the hill of santa ana , in what is now the barrio las peñas , a fortified hill ringed with old canons pointed at the river , to fend of english pirates which regularly terrorized spanish colonial ports . the shore of the guayas river was then a bustling shipyard and port .
to head for the highlands one must cross a concrete bridge over the daule river , drive through la puntilla , cross the bridge over the guayas . but two generations ago , a ferry system delivered people and goods accross the river .
i was born in urdesa . my aunts betty and nancy , my cousins douglas and paola still live there . my cousin johan lives in el paraíso with his wife pilar and children .
further down the 9 de octubre , the church and plaza of san francisco (2) provide a break in the middle of one of the busiest intersections .
the monument of la rotonda (3) remembers the meeting in guayaquil between simón bolívar and josé de san martín , after the independence of the city in 1820 , to negotiate its future status . the city was autonomus at the time , a mini-country .
the north end of the redeveloped malecón is home to a new IMAX theatre (4) and the museo antropológico y de arte contemporáneo MAAC , at the foot of the hill of santa ana .
the old riverfront neighborhood of las peñas (5) is being restored , and is home to a vibrant art district . atop the hill , the old lighthouse and chapel look over the river and city .
the mercado sur (6) , the municipal market built at the dawn of the 20th century by students of eiffel , has been converted into an art museum , a striking structure of iron and glass .
the church and plaza of la merced (7) is another redeveloped area , with widened sidewalks , public spaces and fountains , a lovely pedestrian space .
the parque seminario (8) sits across from the cathedral and the old seminary . it is known these days as parque de las iguanas , with good reason . there are dozens of them living in its trees .
paranoia is the name of the game when it comes to the US consulate (9) - they got the municipality to re-route the main drag to create more distance between the building and the street .