Las Peñas

The highest concentration of historic houses and structures in the coastal city of Guayaquil is in the neighborhood of Las Peñas. The barrio was first settled in the mid-seventeenth century and retains much of its eighteenth-century colonial character with wooden houses, winding streets, and traditional plazas. Many historic locations, such as el Fortín de la Planchada, Plaza Colón, and Santo Domingo church, provide a sense of the layers of history reflected in the area’s architecture. Social and ideological changes during the mid-nineteenth century brought about physical transformations of the houses in Las Peñas, as structures accommodated new regional housing and working needs. Lack of maintenance, neglect, and vandalism in the twentieth century threatened the structures. Increasing regional tourism presents further challenges, as the neighborhood must again accommodate new uses while striving to maintain its character.

2004 World Monuments Watch

The Barrio Las Peñas was included on the 2004 Watch, which provided an opportunity to initiate a conservation project for one of the barrio’s most interesting structures, the Casa Lida Pintado. A collaborative effort between the Bank of Guayaquil and World Monuments Fund, with support from American Express, conserved the eighteenth-century Casa Lida Pintado for use as a museum. Work included structural stabilization as well as the restoration of ceilings, floors, historic interiors, and the entryway. Casa Pintado is said to be the former home of the author of the National Anthem of Ecuador, as well of Gabriel García Gómez, father of nineteenth-century president Gabriel García Moreno.The neighborhood of Las Peñas contains the best surviving examples of historic colonial architecture in Guayaquil and contributes to the unique identity of the city. Several political and cultural figures, such as Ernesto Che Guevara, Enrique Gil Gilbert, and Rafael Pino Roca once lived there. It is the site of the historic meeting between Simon Bolivar and his revolutionary counterpart, Jose de San Martin. Las Peñas, declared a national cultural heritage site in 1982, continues to be the nucleus of the town of Guayaquil.