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As Cuenca celebrates the 15th anniversary of the designation of its historic district as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, officials worry that there are not enough architects trained in historic restorations to handle increasing demand. Gustavo Lloret, professor of...
When former President Chávez died last year, leftist governments across the America also lost their most charismatic and radical leader. But the staying power of leftist governments points to their huge progress in alleviating poverty while generally preferring...
Roberto Gomez Bolanos, the iconic Mexican comedian who wrote and played the boy television character "El Chavo del Ocho" that defined a generation for millions of Latin American children, died Friday at age 85. Known as "Chespirito" (chess-pee-REE-to), he changed...
Acknowledging that it still looking for money to fund studies for a new freeway system, the administration of Mayor Marcelo Cabrera says the 2015 city budget will emphasize sidewalk reconstruction, park maintenance and road repairs. He said the new budget does not...
The Special Foods of Cuenca 10 Alfajores 11 Aguardiente 11 Ají 12 Almuerzo 12 Babaco 14 Café 14 Canelazo 15 Ceviche 15 Chaulafán 16 Chicha 16 Chifles 17 Chirimoya 17 Choclo 18 Churrasco 18 Cuy 19 Encebollado 20 Empanada 21...
Introduction 1 Who Are We to Write This Book? 3 PART ONE: ATTRACTIONS AND DOWNSIDES CHAPTER ONE: Why Expatriate To Cuenca? Why Expatriate? 6 Why Cuenca? 6 The Rush to Cuenca 8 The Nature of Duality 11 CHAPTER TWO: Climate Why Can’t I Get a Reliable...
Introduction 1 A Note About Cuenca 2 How This Book Is Organized 3 Why We Wrote This Book 4 Similarities and Differences with English 8 Part One: Learning at Home Chapter One: What To Expect from the Spanish Adventure Acquiring a First Language: How We...
Introduction 7 People Watching in Parque Calderón 9 Abdón Calderón, Revolutionary Hero 9 The Park Scene 10 Around the Park 11 Shopping at the Mercados 15 The Mercados of El Centro 15 Feria Libre 17 The Coopera 19 Dining Out 21 Almuerzos 21 North American 23...
They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. It seems that applies to dogs too. As four Swedish athletes sat down to eat some canned meatballs ahead of a dangerous rainforest trek in Ecuador, they gave one to a stray pooch. That dog, who has been named...
When he first requested the visit, Cuenca Mayor Marcelo Cabrera believed recommendations by a team of UNESCO experts might result in a rerouting of Cuenca’s new light rail system. Instead, the report received from the team two weeks ago will have almost no impact on...
President Rafael Correa says that a proposal to include housewives and househusbands in the country’s social security program is simply a reflection of a changing world. “What we are doing is recognizing the legitimacy of work that is done in the home,” he said last...
Ecuador’s social security health care system has revised its procedures to lower costs and eliminate what it says have been abuses of its services. The major change, according to social security system director (IESS) Hugo Villacrés is the reduction in referrals to...
The risk that West Africa’s Ebola outbreak will spread and disrupt cocoa supplies may boost demand for beans from Ecuador and Colombia, according to industry groups in the Andean nations. “There’ll be a chance to promote our cocoa in Europe and elsewhere amid this...
Ecuador’s Minister of Industry Ramiro Gonzalez says that the quota for the number of cell phones imported into the country will be increased. “There will be a substantial increase in importations,” Gonzalez said earlier this week. “The demand continues to grow and...
Ecuador banks are scrambling to establish rules for U.S. citizen account holders to comply with new IRS reporting requirements. The new rules will affect existing accounts as well as new accounts belonging to U.S. citizens. According to spokespersons at Banco...
Several hundred protesters of proposed changes to the country’s labor laws marched up Calle Simon Bolivar Wednesday afternoon to join a rally in Parque Calderon. The march also attracted supporters of several other causes, including the ones opposed Cuenca’s light...
By Eloise Horsfield Four British expats saw their Spanish retirement dreams turn to dust after their homes were flattened. The demolitions, which began on Tuesday in the rural village of Cantoria, bring the total of British-owned homes destroyed in the province of...
Ecuador could become the first country in Latin America without a prison overcrowding problem. The reason why is a sprawling new prison complex on the outskirts of Cuenca that can accommodate almost 2,800 prisoners. The prison, Centro de Rehabilitación Social, (CRS),...
Retired physician Alejandro Martinez stood outside his house on Av. Loja two weeks ago, watching police work a roadblock checking for drunk drivers. According to Martinez, one of those arrested, a 20-something man driving a late model BMW, yelled at police officers....
Only months after new city taxi fares were established, officials are considering raising municipal bus fares. The current fare of 25 cents was established 11 years ago and bus companies say it allows little margin for maintenance, purchase of new buses and...
