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Atacames is a beach town located on
Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Ekua ...
's Northern Pacific coast. It is located in the province of Esmeraldas, approximately 30 kilometers south west from the capital of that province, which is also called Esmeraldas. In 2005 Atacames's population was 11,251 inhabitants. Atacames has one of the lowest rates of poverty in the province of Esmeraldas (68% in 2005). During
Francisco Pizarro Francisco Pizarro González, Marquess of the Atabillos (; ;  – 26 June 1541) was a Spanish conquistador, best known for his expeditions that led to the Spanish conquest of Peru. Born in Trujillo, Spain to a poor family, Pizarro chose ...
's second conquest in 1526, he landed at Atacames. There he was unable to conquer or invade the land due to the resistance that he found in the local people who were at that time under the
Incas The Inca Empire (also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire), called ''Tawantinsuyu'' by its subjects, ( Quechua for the "Realm of the Four Parts",  "four parts together" ) was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The admi ...
.Prescott, W. H., 2011, ''The History of the Conquest of Peru'', Digireads.com Publishing, In the centuries after Spanish conquest, some slave ships came from Africa. In 1553 a ship carrying slaves from Panama to Peru was stranded on Esmeralda, and the 25 slaves on board managed to escape from their captors

In the following years more escaped slaves, along with the descendants of the former slaves, developed some of the lands along the coast. Although there were also other people groups present in Atacames in the 16th century, today Afro-Ecuadorian people, Afro-Ecuadoreans make up a large portion of the population in Atacames.
Tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...
is Atacames's primary industry. For its population, Atacames has the highest level of hotels in the whole province of Esmeraldas

It is also easily accessible by bus from Santo Domingo, Quito, and Esmeraldas.


Surfing in Atacames & Ecuador

People travel from all over the world to enjoy
Surfing in Ecuador Ecuador has many beaches for surfing:Thyberg, Davi"Where to Surf in Salinas, Ecuador."USA Today
(Travel). Accessed September 2011. ...
.
Playas beach Playa (plural playas) may refer to: Landforms * Endorheic basin, also known as a sink, alkali flat or sabkha, a desert basin with no outlet which periodically fills with water to form a temporary lake * Dry lake, often called a ''playa'' in the so ...
also offers a wonderful climate all year round for
Surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitabl ...
. It is important to note that Sharks may be a hazard at this break. Salinas, Ecuador, was the site of the ISA World Junior Surfing Games Ecuador in 2009.


Atacames Nightlife

Atacames has a busy night life, primarily because weather during the day is hot and humid. Atacames provides services for tourists all year round, but the high season are weekends, Easter, Carnival, Christmas, and some weeks in the summer. Atacames is full of discotheques, and dance clubs that play the most recent hits from different styles of music such as salsa, merengue, and reggaeton. Atacames is also well known for its "caipirinhas", a Brazilian drink made from sugar cane alcohol, fresh lime juice and much ice. Along most of the beach there are bartenders situated in kiosks along the colorful beach shore that make a variety of local fruit shakes and juices. There a covered (though outdoor) line of booths called "covachas" where locals sell a variety of products such as hand made jewelry and handcrafts. Dozens of local women also earn a living by braiding and putting beads in hair.


Eating in Atacames

The food served in Atacames is typical for much of the coastal regions of Ecuador. Meals will often consist of shrimp, crab, lobster, and fish. Several of the citizens in Atacames fish, and thus much of the food that is served is fresh. In Atacames you can typically find delicious ceviches, encocados and all sorts of seafood and, as is typical in most of Ecuador,
rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and ''Porteresia'', both wild and domesticated, ...
is generally served with the meal. A wide variety of fruit juices are also served, though beer (particularly
Pilsener Pilsner (also pilsener or simply pils) is a type of pale lager. It takes its name from the Bohemian city of Plzeň (german: Pilsen), where the world's first pale lager (now known as Pilsner Urquell) was produced in 1842 by Pilsner Urquell Brew ...
), water, and carbonated beverages are also common. Vegetables, which are generally grown in the highlands of Ecuador, are often missing from the regular diet due to their higher price.


Transportation in Atacames

Although only a small town, Atacames has several taxi services. Only one of these actually involves vehicular transport as the rest of the taxi services rely on bikes that are either gas or manually powered.


References


External links


Surfing forecast for Atacames, Ecuador





ecuadors.org Informacion on Atacames, Ecuador


{{Canton seats in Esmeraldas Beaches of Ecuador Populated places in Esmeraldas Province Populated coastal places in Ecuador Surfing locations in Ecuador Tourist attractions in Esmeraldas Province