Santa Ana Hill Guayaquil

Santa Ana Hill

Guayquil is one of the main cities of Ecuador. Guayaquil has a tourist place called Cerro Santa Ana that has a hill 60 meters high, is one of the most outstanding viewpoints of Guayaquil in the province of Guayas, because it allows you to make a visual tour with a 360-degree turn, in which it can be seen from the north: the Babahoyo and Daule rivers intersection that forms Guayas River; At south: the commercial center of the city; At east, Santay Island and Durán; and at west, the hill of Carmen and the rest of the city. In the viewpoint of the hill, you can find special binoculars where tourists can use to observe the panoramic view of the city. The Santa Ana Hill, in addition, is a tourist attraction in the area, whose access is given by the Diego Noboa stairs, has 444 steps, there are squares, roundabouts, museums, chapel, the lighthouse, art galleries, craft shops, Internet cafes, bars and restaurants.

We can find international food and Ecuador’s typical food ador especially guayaquileña food.

• • The Santa Ana Guayaquil hill is located northeast of the city, at the foot of the Guayas River and next to the traditional Las Peñas neighborhood.

    Santa Ana Hill Address: Numa Pompilio Llona and Jacinto Morán de Buitrón Street.

Cerro Santa Ana History

• • The Santa Ana hill is the place where Guayaquil was born, back in the 16th century in the decades of 1540 to 1550, when the Spanish Diego de Urbina resettled the city on the slopes of what was called Cerrito Verde or Cerrito de la Culata, which next to the Hill of the Carmen they formed an image similar to a saddle for which the city was called the “City of the horseman’s chair”.
  • The name of Santa Ana, is due to an ancient legend that says that the Spanish soldier Nino de Lecumberry, in one of his tasks, being in danger of death, invoked the saint to save himself. When he achieved this, in gratitude, he placed a cross with the legend of "Santa Ana" on the top of the hill. From there, the inhabitants began to call the place that was previously called by the aboriginal natives as "Loninchao".

Santa Ana Hill Staircases

• • How many steps does Cerro Santa Ana have? There are 456 steps with their respective attractions, which will put you in touch with the magic of the place.

Cerro Santa Ana Tourism

The Santa Ana Hill of Guayaquil is a site of tourist interest. Restaurants, cafés, art galleries, internet cafes and handicraft shops are 310 meters away. It is equipped with squares, recreation and rest green areas, its most important attraction offered to tourists is the majestic view of Guayaquil.

The Mirador Square

• • El Fortín is the highest point on the Hill where the Lighthouse, Plaza de Honores, Santa Ana Chapel and the Open Museum and Barracks that will monitor the order of the Plaza rise

Santa Ana Hill Lighthouse

• • Built in 2002, it has a great symbolic connotation, since Guayaquil has been in many aspects, light and guide of Ecuador.
  • It rises at the top at a height of 85.90 meters above sea level, 18.75 meters high and has an internal staircase from which you access a terrace, strategic point to observe the city.

Honors Square

• • Implanted at the top together with the lighthouse and the chapel, it is a space destined to pay homage to the national symbols.
  • The anchor design responds to the martial path to raise and lower the flag.
  • It is a place where you can appreciate the urban and naval history of the city, shelter point and place to carry out official acts during the commemoration of civic dates.

"El Fortín del Santa Ana" Museum

• • Built in 2002, to guard the city that flourished on Santa Ana Hill Guayaquil was founded in 1629 the Castle, Fort or Fort of San Carlos located on the top of the Hill of Our Lady of Santa Ana, was the only strong military defense of Guayaquil at the time that had to endure continuous pirate attacks.

Monument to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

• • It is located at the top of Cerro del Carmen
  • Guayaquil expresses its devotion through this monument that has a look directed to the south of the city.
  • The statue was worked in Pistoia - Italy, and was moved in parts to Guayaquil in 1970.
  • After several steps of the committee in the month of May 1972, the assembly of the statue begins, which ends in the month of June of that year.

Its heritage houses

• • Its houses of the early twentieth century, built in wood, of different styles, with European emulated influence, with French-type balconies and chaza windows to appreciate the river and with naval touches, given the status of port city.
  • The houses house art and craft galleries that transport tourists to the liveliest traditions of Guayaquil

Your nightlife

    But you cannot ignore the nightlife of the place that lights the center of the port city

• • There you can find a wide variety of bars, discos and karaokes that receive visitors from Tuesday to Sunday.
  • Among the outstanding bars of the Las Peñas neighborhood you can mention Diva Nicotina, El Bar de Arthurs, La Taberna and more.

Its steps

    A few steps you can find the stairs.

• • One of its attractions is the 444 steps that end with the lighthouse and a panoramic view of the city.
  • During the trip to the lighthouse you can try different food dishes offered by the inhabitants of the sector.
  •     There is more than one staircase that connects the Lighthouse with the Numa Pompilio, all of these give you beautiful views of the city and the Guayas River.

Santa Ana Hill Lighthouse

• • It was built in 2002 to replace the first lighthouse, which in 1841 was located on the island of Santa Clara, also known as Isla del Muerto for its curious orographic formation.

Santa Ana Hill Legend

The chroniclers of the old Guayaquil tell that, at the beginning, the city had only two streets and both were born on Santa Ana hill slopes. One was known as the Royal Street and, the other was the New Street; over the years they were baptized as Av. Vicente Rocafuerte and Malecón Simón Bolívar, respectively.

The layout of Guayaquil is exactly the same as that of the colonial era, but over time the streets changed, others without names were formed and houses and buildings also changed. But in the center of everything, a silent witness to urban growth: the Santa Ana hill.

The legend always adds seasoning and mystery to places. In Guayaquil we talk about the fairy of Santa Ana hill.

Long before the arrival of the Spaniards and the settlement of the Huacavilcas, a luxurious palace minted with gold, silver and marble stood in the depths of the hill. Its owner was a cacique who one day, desperate, sent to call the oldest healer in the place with the hope that he would cure his sick daughter.

But the healer forced the chief to choose between his wealth and his daughter. "The only cure," he said. "It is that you return to their rightful owners all the wealth obtained and stolen in your battles." Greed spoke and the chief opted for his wealth while throwing a golden ax at the healer.

The wizard, furious, escaped death and cursed the chieftain and his daughter. "You will live with your daughter and your treasures in the bowels of the hill," he said. "Your daughter will wander outside the palace every 100 years until the day she finds a man who prefers her over her property."

Many years passed until the Spanish conquest arrived and, with it, the soldier Nino de Lecumberry who, upon reaching the summit of Santa Ana, met the daughter of the chief. Without knowing her history, he followed her to the center of the hill, to her palace, and had to choose between staying with her or the palace´s treasures. Again greed was more and the Spanish had to face the anger of the chief. While in danger of death, he implored on his knees the Christian Santa Ana, mother of Mary and grandmother of Jesus, to get him out of that place.

When he achieved this, in gratitude, he placed a cross with the legend of "Santa Ana" on the top of the hill. From there, the inhabitants began to call the place that was previously called by the aboriginal natives as "Loninchao".

Santa Ana Port

Guayaquil Santa Ana Port is a real estate and tourist complex located in the city of Guayaquil, under the slopes of the Santa Ana hill. The complex has several office buildings, shops and flats, as well as squares, museums and a boardwalk that borders Guayas river. Its construction began in January 2005 on an area of ​​4 hectares at a cost of almost 20 million dollars that were financed with municipal and private investment. The initial plans of the project were developed by the American study of DDG architects, with a similar model  as Miami city Cocowalk and it contemplated the construction of a lighthouse made entirely of glass.

The work was built in the sector where the former Cervecería Nacional (National Brewery) and other factories were located, including Indulac and the Model Piladora and connects to the Las Peñas neighborhood by Numa Pompilio Llona street, sector in which the city was born. The first phase was inaugurated on April 15, 2007.

The properties that form the buildings have been sold through public auctions. In November 2011, one of the buildings, called Sotavento, was sold for more than 5 million dollars.

Puerto Santa Ana premises

Puerto Santa Ana local

• • Shipyard, where the museums of Music, Barcelona and Emelec are located, as well as offices and commercial premises.
  • Barlovento, which has four floors of apartments and a social area.
  • Torreón, which has offices and commercial premises.
  • Sotavento, which has apartments, commercial premises and a social area with a swimming pool.
  • Buildings in Ciudad del Río.
  • Los Silos, formerly a Brewery winery and now integrates commercial premises and departments.
  • Plaza Pilsener, sector where artistic shows are held.

Your nightlife

     But you cannot ignore the nightlife of the place that lights the center of the port city

• • There you can find a wide variety of bars, discos and karaokes that receive visitors from Tuesday to Sunday.
  • Among the outstanding Las Peñas neighborhood bars you can mention Diva Nicotina, El Bar de Arthurs, La Taberna and more.

Tourist Spots of Guayaquil

• • La Noria
  • Historical Park of Guayaquil
  • Malecon 2000
  • Lake Park
  • El Pantanal Zoo
  • Las Peñas Neighborhood
  • University Malecon
  • Victor Emilio Estrada Malecon
  • Estero Salado
  • Malecón de la Ferroviaria.
  • San Agustín Park
  • Centenario Park
  • Victoria Square
  • Plaza de la Merced
  • San Francisco Square
  • Administration Square
  • Juan Montalvo Park
  • Colón Square
  • Park of the Iguanas
  • Square of Honors or Symbols
  • Abdón Calderón" BAE Naval Museum
  • Shipyard Equipment Museum: Barcelona and Emelec
  • Museum of Barcelona
  • Plazoleta Cerrito Verde
  • Lions Fountain
  • The Lighthouse
  • Próceres Column
  • Writers and Artists Route, General Guayaquil Cemetery
  • Próceres Route, General Guayaquil Cemetery
  • Fine Arts Route, General Guayaqui Cemetery
  • Ruta de los Presidentes, General Guayaquil Cemetery