Las Penas and Santa Ana Hill

Wikipedia says the first definite settlement of Guayaquil took place on and around Santa Ana Hill beginning in 1547. The hill, originally called Little Green Hill, offered good visibility, firmer ground and defensive advantages, and the first main church and town hall were built there. Archaeological finds of ceramic fragments at the base suggest earlier occupation by the Chono people. Fortifications were built to protect the city from pirates, and the San Carlos and La Planchada forts faced the river. Accounts differ on exactly when houses first lined the slopes of Las Peñas, with sources giving dates from the sixteenth to the mid-seventeenth century.

Fire repeatedly destroyed Guayaquil, and the worst fire, in 1896, is said to have destroyed nearly every dwelling in the area. Much of the architecture seen today reflects the rebuilding that followed. Travel sources describe Las Peñas as the only remaining set of wooden houses in the city, built in the local maritime style, and say it was declared a cultural heritage site in 1982. Several Ecuadorian figures lived in the neighbourhood over time.

The climb begins at the Diego Noboa y Arteta staircase, with brightly painted façades, restaurants, galleries and small plazas along the way. Sources give the number of steps as 444 or 456, so a few hundred steps is the safest description. At the top stand the Chapel of Santa Ana and a blue and white lighthouse about 18.5 to 18.75 metres tall, with sources giving 2001 or 2002 for its construction or opening. Wikipedia lists the viewpoint plaza, an open museum and old cannons among the sights on the hill.

From the summit the view takes in the Guayas River, the Malecón 2000 promenade, the city's rooftops and the spans of the bridges across the river. Late afternoon light is popular for photographs. The climb is steady rather than technical but can be warm and humid.

A private tour can combine Las Peñas with the Malecón and the historic centre. Taking breaks in the cafés on the way up is part of the experience, and a guide can explain the layers of history in the streets.

Guayaquil's position on a major river made it a Pacific port and shipyard under Spanish rule, and also exposed it to raids. English and French pirates attacked and looted the city in 1687, and in 1709 the captains Woodes Rogers and William Dampier led another raid that ended without ransom after yellow fever broke out among their crew, according to Wikipedia. The defences on Santa Ana Hill belong to this era. Today the hill's cannons, the open museum and the view plaza let visitors picture the vantage point that soldiers once held over the river approaches. Most sources give the stairway as about 444 steps.