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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 altogether—affects tourists and citizens alike. According to to Gabriela Alvarez, coordinator of the Tourist Information Center,...

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 some of the problems, particularly in the southern areas of the city. He also...

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 and imposing higher taxes on 630 products January 15. The government claims that the move...

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 Cueva. The market building anchors a two-block market district that features everything from...

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 have traffic signals, will be getting them soon. In all, 99 new lights are being...

Ecuador has made an interest payment on its bond due 2015 after defaulting on other debt for the second time in a decade, Finance Minister Maria Elsa Viteri said. The bonds rallied to two-month high following the announcement. The payment was made on Tuesday.  The government, which on Dec. 15 invoked a 30-day grace period...

Among the public works projects scheduled for 2009 by Cuenca’s city government are a reburfishment of Parque de la Madre and traffic improvements in the historic district. The work in Parque de la Madre, including construction of a school athletic center and a cafeteria, could begin as early as February, according to city coordinator Jaime Siguenza. Other...