Portoviejo

Portoviejo, city, western Ecuador, in the Pacific lowlands on the eastern bank of the Portoviejo River. Founded by Spanish colonists in 1535 near the coast, it was moved inland to its present site in 1628 because of Indian attacks. The town is a commercial centre in an agricultural and lumbering region, the products of which include coffee, in particular, as well as cacao, sugarcane, cotton, and balsa wood. Portoviejo also has some light industry, including tanning and the manufacture of Panama hats, baskets, and hammocks. Portoviejo is the seat of a bishopric (created in 1871) and of a technical university (established in 1952). It is connected by road and air with Quito and Guayaquil. Portoviejo was among the places hardest hit by a magnitude-7.8 earthquake that struck northwestern Ecuador in April 2016, resulting in widespread destruction and loss of life in the city. Pop. (2001) 171,847; (2010) 206,682.