Puerto López and Isla de la Plata, Ecuador

Puerto López is a Pacific coastal town and the administrative center of Puerto López Canton in Ecuador’s Manabí Province. Fishing has long been central to the local economy, alongside services connected with Machalilla National Park and marine tourism. Ecuador’s 2022 census recorded 12,598 residents in the town, replacing the earlier estimate of approximately 16,000.

Photographs taken in 2004 document street vendors, pedal-powered cargo carts, fishing-related commerce, unpaved roads and everyday activity along the coast. They preserve a record of the town before subsequent development and changes to its waterfront and streets.

Approximately 40 kilometers offshore, Isla de la Plata forms part of Machalilla National Park, a protected area established in 1979. The uninhabited island covers approximately 14.2 square kilometers and contains coastal dry vegetation and important nesting habitat for seabirds. Its surrounding waters are also part of the park’s protected marine environment.

The Spanish name Isla de la Plata means “Island of Silver.” Stories connecting the name with pirates, Francis Drake or buried treasure are widely repeated, but their historical basis is uncertain.