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, […] To access this post, you must purchase The Cuenca Dispatch Subscription – Monthly or The Cuenca Dispatch Subscription – Annual.

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 […] To access this post, you must purchase The Cuenca Dispatch Subscription – Monthly or The Cuenca Dispatch Subscription – Annual.

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 […] To access this post, you must purchase The Cuenca Dispatch Subscription – Monthly or The Cuenca Dispatch Subscription – Annual.

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 […] To access this post, you must purchase The Cuenca Dispatch Subscription – Monthly or The Cuenca Dispatch Subscription – Annual.

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 […] To access this post, you must purchase The Cuenca Dispatch Subscription – Monthly or The Cuenca Dispatch Subscription – Annual.