Malecón 2000

Location:
Sargento Vargas 116 y Av. Olmedo (Fundación Malecón 200)
Guayaquil, Ecuador

City Plaza, Activity Info.

V!VA User‘s Description

The MALECON 2000 is a wonderful hub for many activities in downtown Guayaquil. The term “malecón” is commonly found in any city or town that has a street stretching along the water-front. Since the mid-1800s in Guayaquil, this has been the place where locals and visitors of every social class have spent their evenings looking for a cool breeze off the river, strolling along or visiting with each other on benches. Nowadays, crowds continue to flock for the same reasons.

The same stretch along the river was re-vamped and innaugurated as Malecón 2000 in October of 1999. The Southern sector (between Calle Cuenca & 10 de Agosto) is comprised of a shopping center, open-air food courts, an artisan’s market, and the “Mercado Sur.” Hungry visitors can enjoy budget to mid-range seafood dishes while watching the expanse of the Guayas River lazily pass by on its way to the Pacific. The artisan’s market is highlighted by the only Pro-Pueblo retailer in the country. Pro-Pueblo represents co-ops of coastal artisans who primarily work from their homes in remote villages to create low-cost products. Their ceramics and tagua nut (vegetable ivory) Christmas decorations are of such an excellent quality that they are sometimes re-sold in other stores for three times the price. The Mercado Sur, constructed by a contemporary of Eiffel, was home to one of Guayaquil’s primary markets until the regeneration project relocated vendors to another part of the city at the end of the 1990s.

The Central sector (between 10 de Agosto y P. Icaza) begins at the Clock Tower with its Moorish influence and ends at the “La Rotonda” monument at 9 de Octubre. They became part of the Malecón during the mid-1900s. For the more recent inauguration, architects added monuments to the four elements in this sector. Testaments to the original mangrove forests that flanked the river, thick trees have walk-ways built around them in this sector.

The Northern sector (between P. Icaza and the Las Peñas neighborhood) hosts exercise and play areas, gardens, an IMAX theater, another food court, and the MAAC (Museum of Anthropology and Contemporary Art). The beautifully landscaped gardens decoratively highlight flora from the coastal region and the design includes evidence of the city’s long-standing Masonic influence. The MAAC brings in interesting exhibits from all over the world, hosts performances for well-known musicians, and includes a theater that presents both international and national films (one of the only places in the entire world to be able to witness the country’s contribution to film).

Getting There
The length of Calle Malecón which runs along the Guayas River from Calle Cuenca to the historic neighborhood Barrio Las Peñas.

Walking: If already staying in the downtown area, this attraction within a few blocks of most hotels.

Travel Tips: If planning to shop, start at the Northern end so as to not have to carry everything all day.

For an evening visit, work your way North from 9 de Octubre; enjoy the gardens; have a beer or coffee at Café Aroma; and head for the city’s oldest neighborhood, Las Peñas, or climb Santa Ana hill for a night-time view of the city’s lights.

Open Hours from:7 a.m., Artisan's Market open 10 a.m., Gallery Shopping 10 a.m.

Open Hours to:12 a.m., Artisian's Market closes 7 pm., Gallery Shopping 8 p.m.

Days Closed:Open all year long

Travel Skills: None

Contact Information:
Phone: 593-4-252-4530
Fax: 593-4-252-4211
E-mail: info(at)remove-this.malecon2000.org.ec
URL: www.malecon2000.com

Traveler Reviews of Malecón 2000

Wain Dwopp

Rating: 100%

I loved everything about this place.

By wain dwopp from Los Angelos, California, May 03, 2007