Parque seminario, Public park in central Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Parque Seminario is a small public park in the Rocafuerte sector of central Guayaquil, bounded by Clemente Ballén, Diez de Agosto, Chile and Chimborazo streets. It holds an equestrian monument to Simón Bolívar, a lagoon with turtles, a gazebo and an iron fence, and its paved Chimborazo side links it to the Cathedral of Guayaquil.
The Plaza de Armas was laid out in 1693 with the grid of the Ciudad Nueva, and the Iglesia Matriz opened beside it in 1695. The cabildo and its jail stood at the southeast corner from 1696–97, and the square was never cobbled in colonial times. In 1889 the equestrian Bolívar monument by Italian architect Rocco Queirolo Pinasco was erected, and in 1895 Manuel Suárez Seminario funded a French-style reconstruction with railings and a gazebo.
The park serves as a gathering place for neighborhood families, particularly after services at the nearby cathedral. Visitors and residents spend time here enjoying the open spaces and watching the local wildlife.
The park is bounded by Clemente Ballén to the north, Diez de Agosto to the south, Chile to the east and Chimborazo to the west. Chimborazo street was rebuilt for pedestrians and links the park directly with the Cathedral of Guayaquil. Enter from any of these sides; the cathedral frontage is the shortest approach.
The park is home to over 350 green iguanas that roam freely among visitors, basking on rocks and resting in tree branches. These reptiles have adapted to living alongside people, making them an unexpected encounter for many visitors.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,704 contributors worldwide.
