Torre Morisca, Guayaquil, Clock tower at Malecón 2000, Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Torre Morisca is a clock tower on the Malecón in Guayaquil, built of reinforced concrete on an octagonal base of about 28 square metres. It rises four floors to a height of 23 metres, topped by an Arab-Byzantine dome. Near the top, round white dials with black Roman numerals face outward, and the restored English clock strikes each hour.
The first public clock, brought by the Jesuits in the mid-18th century, stood on a wooden tower at the San Francisco Javier monastery. In 1842 the city bought an English clock with a 6,000-peso loan from the Luzárraga house; it was inaugurated on 9 October 1842 atop the Cabildo. The present tower, designed by Francisco Ramón and J. Pérez Nin y Landín, was built in reinforced concrete from 1930 and opened on 24 May 1931.
The tower blends Byzantine and Moorish design elements, reflecting the diverse architectural influences that shaped Ecuador in the early 20th century. These styles are visible in the decorative details and proportions that visitors notice as they explore the structure.
The tower stands on the Malecón at the height of Diez de Agosto Street, and since June 2023 it has been open to the public Thursday to Sunday, 10:00 to 17:00. The clock was restored in 2013 by the Mexican firm Relojes Olvera III Generación of Zacatlán, so the hourly bell rings again.
The 1842 English clock was ordered with clear white dials, black Roman numerals and a bell audible up to a league away. It was restored in 2013 by Relojes Olvera III Generación, a Mexican firm from Zacatlán, Puebla, and still strikes the hours.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,575 contributors worldwide.