The most wretched pirates…

During five days in 1709, pirate Woodes Rogers and his crew sojourned in Guayaquil, taking their sweet old time to loot the city’s every house (including the tombs of the cemetery), taking with them a 400-ton sculpture of Saint Vincent. English-Dutch George d’ Hout and his men, in April 1687, also assaulted the city for the day, burned much of it to the ground, taking about 600 hostages, among them high society dames and men of rank, some of which they killed, other which they took out to Puná Island. The authorities in Guayaquil organized an effective retaliation later in the week, and were able to expel the pirates five days later. Another infamous assault was led by Jacques L’Heremite, who set fire to the city. He was repulsed at first, but then jumped ashore to wreak further havoc. In the end, Guayaquil did relatively well against pirate attacks, successfully repelling most, while avoiding privateers like Drake and Morgan, who never ventured to these shores (although sir Francis Drake did attack the northern province of Esmeraldas). At the foot of Barrio Las Peñas you’ll find the Fortín monument, a tribute to Guayaquil’s valiant defense against the notorious pirates of centuries past.

Content/Photo courtesy of Ñan magazine, Ecuador’s foremost travel publication.