An Intrigue of Iguanas in Guayaquil, Ecuador, Guayaquil, Ecuador

When we drove into the city of Guayaquil my first thought was thank goodness we are only staying here for one night. Three hours later I felt very differently about the largest city in Ecuador. This city has a fascinating history which is reflected in some fascinating buildings and monuments and it also has a park full of iguanas.

According to legend the name Guayaquil was derived from Guayas (the great Puna Indian chief who fought bravely against the Incas and then later against the Spanish), and Quill, the wife of Guayas. It is said Guayas killed his wife and then deliberately drowned rather than being captured by the Spanish conquistadors. Some historians claim the name of the city comes comes from the words ‘Hua’ or land, and ‘Illa’ meaning beautiful prairie and ‘Quilca, ’ one of the Guyas River’s tributaries where the Quilca tribe lived until being wiped out in the 17th century. So Guayaquil literally means ‘the land like a beautiful prairie on the land of the Quilcas.’ There may be doubt about the origin of its name but there is no doubt that the first settlement here was established on the lowlands around 1534 but moved to the Santa Ana hill in 1547.

Seminario Park, our first stop, was originally established as Plaza de Armas in 1695 in front of the old Mother Church. This lovely church was converted into a cathedral, Catedrale Metropolitano in 1838. We paused to admire it and listen to the band playing outside - they love their music in Ecuador. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).