La Perla, the largest ferris wheel in South America, rises up above the Guayas River. It sits at the northern end of the Malecón, a 2.5-kilometer long riverfront walkway that runs alongside the center of Guayaquil. Directly above La Perla is the Cerro Santa Ana, where Guayaquil was founded in the 1540s.

There is a longstanding rivalry in Ecuador between coastal Guayaquil and highland Quito. The people of Guayaquil, known as Guayaquileños, take great pride in their city, defending it for its warm climate and coastal ambiance.