Every day, in fast food places, people are tempted with a “do you want to super-size your order? Maybe more fires or soda?” And many impulsively say “Yes.” But these types of products are on the ‘red list,’ as they have been shown to be part of an obesity epidemic, which affect more than 30% […]
In the first week of collection of taxes for urban and rustic properties, the Municipality has brought in 14% of the projected fees for 2020, says Patricio Abad, the financial director of the local government. According to the latest property tax collection report, citizen payments totaled $1,750,000 in the first week; this amount is expected […]
The IESS bank, or BIESS, has a new mortgage program for both new and resale homes. The new loans have lower interest rates and offer higher credit caps. And perhaps even more importantly, the program is also open to retirees and other pensioners. The preferential interest rates start at 5.99%, and the bank will finance […]
By Roxi Guerrero Ronald Reagan said it himself in his farewell speech in 1989, when he told the story about a prisoner of war who worked planting tomatoes and melons in an American field. This prisoner described this time as the “happiest of his life”. He fell in love with America by working in its […]
Erin N. Markley and Ambassador Todd Chapman Erin is the Director of Public Relations and Culture for the US Department of State at the Consul in Guayaquil By Irene Gardner Todd C. Chapman, the U.S. Ambassador to Ecuador since January 2016, visited Cuenca on Wednesday,...
Looking for authentic cultural immersion in Cuenca? Check out the city’s mercado scene; it’s lively, vibrant, and bountiful, with large bustling indoor and indoor-outdoor produce and meat markets scattered around town. Shopping at, any of the city’s nine large mercados, is a profoundly sensual and visceral experience. Of the three mercados in the historic district, two […]
Cuenca is changing before our eyes, and is becoming more multicultural and more cosmopolitan. That’s the assessment of University of Edinburgh researcher Calvin Evans who studies international immigration patterns. “The changes are happening rapidly due to the influx of Europeans and Ecuadorians who are returning from Europe and the U.S.,” says Evans, who is working […]
As the start the third week of the impeachment process initiated by the National Assembly begins, discussions about disregarding the Constitutional Court's decision cast doubt on the entire process. After the Constitutional Court deemed the impeachment process against...
Like all of us I have some regrets at this point in my life. Like, I really regret trying to break into Fenway Park when I was 19 years-old so that my friends and I could play baseball. Or more precisely, I regret falling off the roof of Fenway Park and breaking my leg in […]
Cuenca Area Traffic Accidents On the morning of Tuesday, July 23, 2019, the Integrated Security Service ECU 911 coordinated the response of a traffic accident registered in the El Tambo canton, where three people were reported injured. ECU 911 said that the accident occurred because one of the drivers of the two tucks involved in […]
So far this year, a total of 10 people have fallen into the Cuenca rivers. According to reports by Patricio Lucero, head of the Fire Department of Cuenca, these incidents have been due to varied reasons. “Some have tried to commit suicide; others have been reckless by walking too close to the river banks when […]
The Ecuadorian Government has dissolved the Eloy Alfaro Institute of Political and Economic Thought—created by former President Rafael Correa before leaving office—for allegedly failing to comply with various articles of various laws. According to the notification (which Correa himself published in social networks), the legal services of the Ecuadorian Ministry of Foreign Affairs decided on […]
With 17,000 vehicles per day that cross the area and a projection to double that amount for the next 20 years, traffic in the southern entrance of the city runs the risk of collapsing. To prevent this from happening, the Government and the University of Cuenca plan a new four-lane road. The sound of the horns […]
With a customer base in the Cuenca market that reflects two percent of its active users in Ecuador, the Spanish application Glovo celebrates one year of service in the city. During its first year, the platform that began operations in the Ecuadorian capital has extended its service to Cuenca and Guayaquil. The latter represents 50 percent […]
The Volkswagen Beetle has become an iconic car in many regions of Ecuador, including Cuenca. So much so, that there’s even a very popular child’s game of calling out the car when someone in a group sees it. A person yells out, “Pichirilo, guess the color,” and whoever doesn’t guess the color receives a pinch […]
The Cristo Rey nursing home, also called the” elder’s asylum,” covers an entire block. It’s located within the streets Sangurima, Juan Montalvo, Vega Muñoz and Estevez de Toral, in the Historic Centro. It’s administrated by the Congregation of Sisters of Forsaken Seniors. About 140 senior men and women live here, under the protection of the […]
The Municipality of Cuenca is still amidst Arbitration in Chile with the Consorcio Cuatro Rios de Cuenca (CCRC; Consortium Four Rivers of Cuenca), the former construction company of the tram system. Juan Peralta, statutory auditor for the municipality, traveled to Chile to provide support in this process. “If there is to be a new memorial […]
According to the Cuencano digital paper La Andariega, the homicide rate in the city is one of the lowest since 2012. Only 11 intentional homicides have been committed during this year. The homicide rate was only lower in 2015 (eight cases) and 2018 (eight cases, but only as of the first half of the year). […]
A group of four hikers got lost on the Cayambe peak on July 20th. The hikers, between the ages of 32 and 44, weren’t able to find the trail back from the mountain and one of the members of the group had injured his arm. Police and firemen were alerted thanks to a call to […]
Recently, the US State Secretary and President Lenin Moreno met in Ecuador to discuss various matters; security, democracy, foreign commerce, war against corruption and drugs. Mr. Pompeo stated that the Trump Administration will be providing a $35 million humanitarian aid to Ecuador. “$30 Million dollars will be to deal directly with the Venezuelan immigrants that […]
The United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, said this week that a group of cyber security experts would be coming to Ecuador. This came up a one of the topics discussed between the Secretary of State and Ecuadorian President, Lenin Moreno. They also discussed the Venezuelan immigration problems and the Maduro regime, cooperation in […]
On Thursday, July 18, Gary Manners was appointed Honorary British Consul in Cuenca. The British Embassy in Ecuador selected Manners as representative because of his long career in marketing and communication. He is also a social worker, has worked in education and even in the area of rehabilitating inmates. There are at least 45 British […]
The last phase of planning for a new type-C hospital is about to end. The Ministry of Health, along with the Service of Public Works Contracting (Secob) and the Italian Agency of Cooperation for Development (AICS), held a meeting in order to settle the final details in order to start the construction. A type-C hospital, […]
This last week as we closed down our restaurant (that was sold and is moving to Ordonez Lasso with a goal of opening on August 1st), several people came up to me and asked me if I was going to keep writing this column. They told me that they really enjoyed it and appreciated my […]
Cuenca Area Traffic Accidents Early Wednesday morning, a pedestrian trying to cross Av. De Las Américas and Amazonas was hit by a car; the car that hit the victim fled the scene. EMOV personnel are investigating the crime. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital by personnel from the Guardia Cidada, EMOV and Cuenca […]
Didn’t stick to your contract with ETAPA? Then you may have a problem. ETAPA (Municipal Telecomm., Water Service, Drainage and Sewage Company) has begun notifying customers who ended their contracts early that they are now going to be charged for the “free installation” that was part of their contract. “Our contracts provide a zero-installation cost […]
A recent study done by the Llactalab group from the Universidad de Cuenca suggests that public policies should be restructured if there is to be a future solution to Cuenca’s traffic problems. The study focused on urbanization, housing construction, outskirts urbanization and the regular transportation means of the inhabitants, in order to make this assessment. […]
Ecuador has the highest child and teen pregnancy rate in all of Latin-America. Because of that, the Ministries of Health, Education and Social and Economic Inclusion have created a new “Methodical Guideline for Pregnancy Prevention in Girls and Teenagers.” This is the third campaign created in on this topic by the Government since 2011. This […]
Assaults against a bus driver on July 11th and an the attack with of a bus a day later caused the Transportation Chamber to warn bus drivers of beggars and “informal vendors” on the buses who are threatening drivers (and passengers) and demanding money. On Wednesday, the bus driver’s guild and the Government of Azuay held […]
This past Wednesday morning the Azuay taxi drivers guild took to the streets of the Historic Center of Cuenca to demand that the National Government make changes to the Law of Transit, Safety, and Compensation with respect to the reduction of the fuel subsidy and other topics. At 10:00 AM, the drivers began their walk […]