Portoviejo, Provincial capital in Manabí Province, Ecuador
Portoviejo is a provincial capital in western Ecuador, roughly half an hour inland from the Pacific. Its streets run in a grid pattern around a central plaza where government buildings and churches stand among the shade trees.
A Spanish conquistador founded this settlement in March 1535 during the early colonial period. Nearly a century later, residents moved the town further inland after repeated conflicts with indigenous groups made life on the coast difficult.
This place takes its name from a small sheltered port that once served coastal trade. Today you can watch vendors at the markets prepare traditional meals with peanut sauce, green bananas, and fish brought in from the coast each morning.
Eloy Alfaro International Airport near Manta provides the nearest air connection to the city. Inside the city limits, buses link all neighborhoods together and run frequently throughout the day.
Coffee roasters and cattle ranches shape the economy around the city, supplying major centers like Quito and Guayaquil. Roads run from here straight in both directions, making transport easy and connecting the region with the main trade routes.
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