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Plaques and portraits of Ecuador's 105 presidents line the yellow walls of the antechamber to the restrooms in El Pobre Diablo (The Poor Devil), a bohemian hangout in Quito, the capital. Spoofing the presidential palace's silk screen Yellow Salon, each is...
Both winner and the loser in Cuenca’s mayoral election agree that it was the strength of President Rafael Correa’s reelection victory that forced a change at city all. Thirty-six-year-old Paul Granda, a political newcomer and member of Correa’s...
Deportivo Cuenca made history Thursday night defeating football powerhouse Boca Juniors at Alejandro Serrano Aguilar Stadium. The 1 – 0 victory before a packed house of 25,000 marked the first time an Ecuadorian team has defeated the Argentinians,...
If you call a taxi over the holiday weekend beware: many drivers are raising their rates. Spokesman for the city of Cuenca said that the practice is widespread and customers should negotiate a fare before commiting to a ride. The number of taxis on the streets is half...
The coincidence of Cuenca’s foundation celebration and Semana Santa has created one of the year’s busiest holiday weekends. Beginning Thursday, festivities include crafts shows, food festivals, choral, symophonic and rock concerts, circus performances and...
Although real estate sales have fallen in some areas of Ecuador, the market remains strong in Cuenca according to local officials. Eduardo Garces, vice president of the Association of Real Estate Brokers of Azuay, says that the local housing sector is...
A map of South America in which landlocked Paraguay is shown with an Atlantic coastline and Ecuador does not exist may be found in a geography textbook used in the public schools of Brazil’s most-populous state. Besides confusing Uruguay with Paraguay, another...
Lan Ecuador Airlines announced it will begin in-country service to Cuenca in early May. Eduardo Ramirez, executive director of the Cuenca airport authority said a start-up date will be announced by early April. Meanwhile, Aero Cuenca, a new airline, has received...
Money sent home from Ecuadorians living in the U.S., Spain and Italy, dropped 22% in fourth quarter of 2008 compared to the same period for 2007. On a per capita basis, there are more Ecuadorians living and working outside the country than citizens of any other Latin...
U.S.-based developers have announced plans for what they are calling “a first of its kind residential community in Cuenca.” Daryl Lassiter, project spokeman for Cuenca Casas, said that community will be designed to appeal to both foreigners and local...
This little nook of a restaurant packs a giant south-of-the-broder flavor whallop! Tucked away behind the soccer stadium on Calle Peralta, just off Av. Solano and Av. Remigio Crespo, I had passed Pronto Tacos many times and thought “I wonder if their food is any...
Hey ladies! Need to shed a few pounds? Or just shape up? The recently reopened Curves, at the corner of Unidad Nacional and Gran Colombia, just below the Las Cuadras condominium complex, is the place to do it. Besides scrubbing and buffing the facility, new majority...
Cuenca merchants and tourism and education officials are calling on the city to institute a uniform system of signage, particularly in the historic district. In a letter to city officials, the group claims that poor signage –or the lack of it...
Looking for a little piece of paradise in the middle of Cuenca? Parque Paraiso –Paradise Park— may be just the place. A short walk from Iglesia El Vergel, at Av. 12 de Abril and Calle de las Herrerias, the park, with its groves of willow...
If you love Italian food, be sure to put Mediterraneo at 7-64 Honorato Vasquez, between Luis Cordero and Hostel Cafecito on your “to-do” list. The first thing I noticed were the new restaurant’s wall decoration. Rich Tuscan colors and a rogue’s gallery of famous...
Heavy rains in the past 10 days have caused minor flooding in several areas of Cuenca and prompted calls from residents for city government to improve maintenace of storm drains. Cuenca Fire Chief Carlos Chaca agreed that better maintenance could have prevented...
The effects of new Ecuadorian import taxes and quotas will begin to hit home by early February according to the director of the National Association of Merchandisers. “Get ready to feel the pain,” Juan Maldonado warns. Ecuador began limiting imports...
Cuenca’s refurbished Ninth of October mercado reopons today after months of construction delays. Over the weekend dozens of vendors who had been relegated to the streets during the 18-month project, set up shop in the three level building at Calles Lamar and...
By Aston Morrisey His hand-made guitars have been played by Freddy Fender, Judy Collins, and Spanish classical musician Pablo Menendez, according to a 25-year-old article in American Musician magazine. Cuenca guitar maker Juan Uyaguari say, however, that he...
You can call 2009, “the year of the traffic light” in Cuenca. The fact is painfully evident to downtown pedestrians who are forced to circumnavigate the installation work on almost every block. Almost all intersections in El Centro that do not already...
