This city houses close to 200,000 inhabitants and is the capital of Manabi province as well as the main center for commercial activity such as coffee, fishing and cattle ranching, it also is infamous for Kapok mattresses and pillows made from the ceibo seed case and is a good place to buy hammocks. You can stroll around the city easily by foot and visit the Parque Eloy Alfaro which faces the local cathedral. An interesting nearby village to visit is Sosote just a few minutes from Portoviejo, it's worth visiting because of its tagua workshops. The main street has several stalls selling tagua figures.
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