Weekend executions expose organized crime’s expanding reach, forcing Cuenca to confront a harsher security reality once thought distant. For years, Cuenca has curated a reputation as the “Island of Peace” amidst Ecuador’s security storm—a sanctuary where the violent excesses of the coast seemed like distant nightmares. However, events this past weekend have punctured that narrative, […]

The Bienal’s final days underscore how art, music, and shared spaces continue shaping Cuenca’s cultural identity. In a city preoccupied with crime statistics, blackouts, and crumbling infrastructure, art might seem like a frivolous luxury. But the XVII Bienal de Cuenca argues precisely the opposite: that in times of crisis, culture is a necessity—a form of […]

Targeted shootings and a 3D-gun operation reveal organized crime expanding into southern Ecuador’s once-quiet highland communities. For decades, Loja and its famous neighbor Vilcabamba were sold to the world as the ultimate sanctuaries. Vilcabamba, the “Valley of Longevity,” was the place where you went to live forever, sipping coffee and breathing pure air. Loja was […]

The collapse of a historic school wall exposes years of neglect and a damaging standoff between municipal leaders and national authorities. Walking down Avenida Fray Vicente Solano this week, past the stately mansions and the manicured medians, residents encountered a pile of rubble that symbolizes a much larger institutional failure. A significant section of the […]

Extortion networks are forcing businesses to close, reshaping daily life and spreading fear across Quito’s commercial and residential neighborhoods. In Quito, the word “vacuna” no longer refers to a medical shot to save your life. In 2026, it refers to an extortion payment to save your business. The capital city is currently in the grip […]

The UK deepens security and technology cooperation with Ecuador as cocaine trafficking links European demand to violence in South America. It might seem incongruous to see Chris Elmore, the UK Minister for Latin America, inspecting police canine units in Quito this week. However, his presence highlights a dark reality of globalization: Ecuador’s security crisis is […]

Political tensions rise after judges narrow concession rules, forcing the government to rely on older emergency laws. A ruling that lit a fuse Ecuador’s long-simmering struggle over how much private capital can enter the electricity system burst into the open after a December 11th ruling by the Constitutional Court struck down a key clause of […]

Political tensions flare after watchdog questions whether the city had legal authority to build three parish-level hospitals. A flagship promise under scrutiny One of Mayor Cristian Zamora’s most visible campaign commitments has become the center of a widening political and legal storm after Ecuador’s Comptroller General’s Office issued a preliminary audit questioning the basis for […]

Despite record gastronomy awards and packed holidays, escalating violence and weak infrastructure threaten the province’s fragile recovery. A paradise under pressure For decades, Manabí has sold itself as Ecuador’s postcard coast: warm Pacific waters, long stretches of sand, fishing villages turned resort towns, and a cuisine so distinctive it has become a national symbol. From […]

Investors from Ecuador and abroad drive a wave of hotels, housing and commercial projects reshaping Cuenca in 2026. A city drawing national attention Cuenca is entering 2026 with a construction pipeline that would have been unthinkable a decade ago. National builders, foreign hotel brands and local landowners are converging on Ecuador’s third-largest city with projects […]

Investigators and human rights groups warn that tuberculosis, hunger and military control are fueling a lethal crisis inside Guayaquil’s Litoral Penitentiary. A death that went unnoticed Early on the morning of December 3rd, guards at Guayaquil’s sprawling Litoral Penitentiary sent out an urgent message asking for a forensic vehicle to collect a corpse. The body […]

Former Assembly chief’s rise exposes internal rifts while Rafael Correa’s allies position themselves to dominate 2027 candidate lists. The leadership of the Citizen Revolution is being recast from abroad, with Rafael Correa moving decisively to install former National Assembly president Gabriela Rivadeneira at the head of the movement just days before its national convention in […]

Amid soaring gold and copper prices, a late-2025 decree reshapes royalties, contracts, and concession rights across the sector. A new framework for a boom-time industry Ecuador’s mining sector opened 2026 with a quiet but far-reaching shift in how the country plans to manage one of its most controversial and potentially lucrative industries. On the final […]

Despite political strain and insecurity, 2025 delivered moments of progress that reshaped how Ecuador was seen at home and abroad. For much of 2025, Ecuador’s public conversation was dominated by crime, fiscal pressure, and institutional stress. Yet beyond the daily headlines, a quieter set of developments unfolded across the economy, diplomacy, culture, environment, and sport—moments […]

Rising demand, investor interest and uneven supply are reshaping sales and rentals in Guayaquil, Quito and Cuenca. Ecuador’s real estate market closed 2025 in a state of uneven recovery, marked by firming sale prices in some cities, rapid rent increases in others, and growing concern over affordability in places where supply is tight. Data from […]

Economic growth cools, debt strategy returns, and policy decisions reshape key sectors across the country. Ecuador enters 2026 facing a markedly tougher economic landscape than the one it experienced a year earlier. After a period of recovery-driven growth in 2025, forecasts now point to a slowdown shaped by weaker oil output, an uncertain global economy, […]

Government cites national security and asylum integrity amid regional moves following dramatic shifts in Venezuela’s power structure. Ecuador has imposed new immigration restrictions targeting Venezuelan citizens linked to the government of Nicolás Maduro, marking a sharp escalation in regional efforts to prevent figures associated with Caracas’ power structure from seeking refuge abroad. The decision, announced […]

Authorities warn that drugging victims has become a central tactic in express kidnappings targeting young adults. Nightlife in Quito has taken on a darker edge as police and prosecutors confront a surge in express kidnappings linked to the use of scopolamine, a drug that leaves victims disoriented, compliant, and often unable to recall what happened […]

Violence inside jails resurfaces alongside an unprecedented wave of street massacres, exposing deep cracks in the country’s security strategy.