Ecuador

The Spanish made their first Ecuadorian landfall on this broad, sandy bank flanked by a sparkling river and surrounded by low green hills. Esmeraldas has been an influential port town throughout history but its modern incarnation is not pretty - even the forests have surrendered to scrub brush.

Before the 20th century

Around 600 BC, societies in Ecuador became more stratified - the La Tolita culture lived on the Pacific Coast in the present-day Esmeraldas Province. Probably around AD 800, cultures integrated into larger, more hierarchical societies. Around this time, the Manteños, Huancavilcas and Caras peoples were prominent along the coast. Towards the end of the first millennium AD, the coastal Caras conquered the Quitus of the highlands and the combined cultures became known as the Shyris. They were dominant until around the 1300s, when the Puruhá of the central highlands became increasingly powerful.

The origins of Afro-Hispanic culture began in Esmeraldas in 1553. When a Spanish slaving ship ran aground, 23 Guinean Africans, led by a warrior called Antón, attacked their slavers and freed themselves. Around the late 16th century, this group, together with another group led by a ladino (Afro-Hispanic person) by the name of Alonso de Illescas, dominated the region spanning from the Manabí Province to present-day Barbacoas, Colombia. African people established palenques (fortified villages) among indigenous populations. On the basis of their features, the combined races were described as Zambo, synonyms of which are Negro, Black and Mulato. By 1599, La República de Zambos was powerful in the region. That year, a group of Zambo chiefdoms traveled from Esmeraldas to Quito to declare their loyalty to Spain.

The Esmeraldas Province, of which Esmeraldas is the capital, was also called the 'Green Province' by the Spanish who were overwhelmed by its incredible plant life.

The first historical exploitation of platinum was by the indigenous populations of Esmeraldas, centuries before the Spanish conquest. They made small pieces of jewelry from platinum, and from platinum and gold combined, which display sophisticated metallurgical skill; their technique of powder metallurgy involved sintering in the liquid phase. Artifacts such as rings and pendants can be dated back to between the 1st and 4th centuries AD. Many of the pieces, however, were found by prospectors and looters, and therefore have no archeological context. Although the jewelry was made up until the Spanish conquest, many centuries passed before Spaniards rediscovered the source of the platinum. It was longer still before scientists could make it malleable.

Modern history

The oil refinery at Esmeraldas, Ecuador's largest, is one of three. The other complexes are located at Santa Elena and near Nueva Loja in the Oriente. The Trans-Ecuadorian Pipeline was built to carry crude oil from the Oriente across the Andes to Esmeraldas. In 1987 a landslide destroyed a section of the pipeline near Quito. A diversion was built from the Oriente to Colombia's pipeline and oil was exported as crude from Colombia or taken by tanker from Colombia to Esmeraldas for refining. Esmeraldas is also the main port for Ecuador's oil exports; it is the principal port in the north of the country.

In addition to the refinery, Esmeraldas has developed its economy by way of agricultural products, trade and wood. It is also an important tourist center, with access to ridiculously beautiful beaches a major drawcard.

In 1998, Esmeraldas suffered a devastating blow - two pipelines broke and oil poured into the streets, igniting as it flowed. Parents put their children into canoes and sent them onto the Esmeraldas River for safety. To their horror, the water ignited, burning the boats and their kids.

Recent history

The beaches around Esmeraldas are without question one of its main attractions today. Atacames (30km/19mi from the city center) is probably the most popular of the lot - it's a year-round tourist resort with well-developed infrastructure and a plethora of bars, restaurants and markets to keep the hordes entertained. Further south is Súa, a quiet fishing village with comfy hotels and spectacular cuisine.

Top Accommodation

Top Restaurants

The wet season is roughly January to May. Despite daily afternoon downpours, you can look forward to sunny days worthy of a trip to the beach - towel under one arm, umbrella under the other. The dry season is roughly June to December when it's usually cooler and overcast. Temperatures are pleasant year-round with averages of around 23°C (73°F) at night and 27°C (81°F) during the day.

Average weather

• Temperature
• Rainfall

Transport

Getting around

The airport is 25km (15.5mi) from the city center, across the Río Esmeraldas. Passengers and taxi drivers gather in front of the TAME office in the city a couple of hours before the flight - four or five people usually squeeze into a taxi for the 15-minute ride. Incoming passengers do the same thing at the airport to travel into the city center.

You can grab a taxi to the beach, or take a Selectivo bus signed 'Las Palmas No 1' northbound along Bolívar.

Taxis charge a minimum fare of around 1.00.

To avoid the congested area near the bus terminals, you can catch buses to Atacames on Calle Olmedo near Calle Quito.

Getting there and away

The TAME office is just off the central plaza. TAME flies from Quito to/from Esmeraldas (30min) four afternoons per week. You can purchase a ticket at the airport office if the flight isn't full; arrive early and make sure you get a seat assignment. Icaro flies to/from Quito each day.

There is no central bus terminal. Aerotaxi rockets to Quito (5hr). Transportes Occidentales and Transportes Esmeraldas, both near the central plaza, are slower and cheaper. They also have frequent buses to Guayaquil (7-8hr). Transportes Panamericana, behind the playground, has comfortable buses to Quito (7-8hr), but it's more expensive. Transportes Gilberto Zambrano has buses to Santo Domingo which stop in Pedernales, and five daily buses to Muisne (2hr). Reina del Camino goes to Manta six times a day (7hr) and to Bahía de Caráquez (8hr) once a day. Transportes La Costeñita and Transportes del Pacífico have buses for Atacames and Súa (both 1hr). There are also several daily buses to Muisne (2hr) - these also go to Borbón (4hr) and on to San Lorenzo (5hr). Buses from Esmeraldas to Borbón pass the airport, so passengers arriving by air and continuing by bus to towns on the way to Borbón don't need to backtrack to Esmeraldas.

Health & Legal Requirements

Dangers and annoyances

Avoid arriving after dark, or take a taxi if you do. Busy Olmedo is the safest street to walk at night. Be careful in the market areas (especially the south end of Malecón Maldonado) and away from main streets. Single women often get hit on and hooted at - men will usually take the hint if they are ignored.

Incidences of malaria increase during the wet months.