Guayaquil Anniversary Sparks Interactive 'Missing Home' Project

As Guayaquil celebrates its founding anniversary on July 25, the newspaper El Comercio has launched a special interactive project titled "What do you miss about Guayaquil?" This initiative aims to connect with the city's former residents who now live in Ecuador and around the world.

The project invites Guayaquileños living abroad to share their fondest memories and what they miss most about their hometown. Participants can indicate their current city and country of residence and answer the question about their nostalgic longing for Guayaquil. Responses can range from specific places and flavors to traditions, landscapes, or people.

An interactive map will visually represent these shared sentiments. Each submission, once reviewed by the editorial team, will be geolocated on the map, showing the approximate distance from the participant's current location to Guayaquil. This creates a dynamic and geographically diverse display of affection for the city.

The platform also includes a statistics section, showing in real-time which countries have the most participants and which memories, places, foods, and customs are most frequently missed. This feature aims to build a collective portrait of the city as seen through the eyes of its dispersed citizens, reinforcing the enduring bond they maintain despite the miles.