Thousands of citizens march despite state of emergency to demand end of Loma Larga project.

A fifth river flows through Cuenca

In the city known for its four rivers, Cuenca’s residents created what they called a “fifth river” on September 16th, when nearly 100,000 people filled the streets to march against the Loma Larga mining project. The massive demonstration, one of the largest in the city’s history, was held despite a state of emergency declared just hours earlier by President Daniel Noboa to suppress protests over the elimination of the diesel subsidy. For many, the turnout was an emphatic response: water, not mining, unites the city.

By dawn, under a sky alternating between rain and clouds, groups of people had already gathered in the San Roque neighborhood, a historic meeting point for anti-mining movements. Ancestral ceremonies were performed before the march began, and by 8 a.m., the streets filled with banners reading, “Water is life,” “Cuenca has decided,” and “Without water, you can’t cook mote.” Shortly before 10 a.m., the crowd surged forward, creating a human tide that shut down main streets and filled plazas.

Voices against mining

The demonstrators’ chants and songs were directed at both the government and Dundee Precious Metals, the Canadian company holding concessions in Loma Larga. While Noboa’s administration has promised to halt the project, protesters are demanding a complete revocation of its environmental license. The project is located in three cantons of Azuay and borders the Quimsacocha National Recreation Area, a sensitive watershed. Studies suggest the site could yield about 200,000 ounces of gold annually in its first years of operation, but for Cuenca’s residents, the potential profits pale against the threat to their water sources.

The march was marked by its spontaneity and lack of centralized leadership. Social organizations, students, artists, unions, families, and even foreigners joined in. Local officials, including Mayor Cristian Zamora and Azuay Prefect Juan Cristóbal Lloret, attended but deliberately refrained from leading. Instead, they set up platforms for speeches and performances along the route. Zamora told the crowd that Cuenca had sent a “clear and forceful message” and warned that a calm city had now been stirred to roar. Lloret reiterated calls to revoke the project’s license entirely.

Symbolism and unity

Religious leaders added solemnity to the day. Monsignor Marcos Pérez Caicedo blessed water before a massive Mass at the Cathedral, presided over by Cardinal Luis Cabrera. Pérez compared the event to the Pase del Niño, Cuenca’s grand December tradition, remarking that the “fifth river of Cuenca” had arrived early this year.

Citizens brought personal touches as well. Among them was Flor María Salazar, a pioneering educator and long-time community figure, who participated from a classic car surrounded by cheers. Homemade posters captured the spirit of the day: “We want water,” read one; another declared, “Without water there is no present. Active wisdom.”

The meaning of the march

For many, the march was about more than stopping a single project—it was about defending a cultural and environmental legacy. “Cuenca’s water is a heritage, it’s sacred,” said resident Manuel Freire, who attended with his family. Washington Arévalo, another participant, put it more bluntly: “Our responsibility is to leave this legacy for our children and our grandchildren.”

The March for Water stretched across dozens of blocks and lasted for hours. By midday, while some protesters gathered in San Francisco Square for concerts and artistic performances, others shared a pampamesa, the indigenous communal meal. Even as the sun broke through the clouds, groups of marchers were still leaving San Roque, ensuring that the river of people continued to flow through the city long after it began.