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New Cuenca mayor Paul Granda participated in the traditional shamanic cleansing ceremony Friday in Pumapungo, the site considered sacred for thousands of years but such cultures as the Canar and Inca. Pumapungo, behind the Banco Central on the eastern fringe of Cuenca’s historic district, is best known for the ruins of the Incan temple that...

President Rafael Correa will be in Cuenca today for the swearing-in ceremony of new Cuenca mayor Paul Granda and other elected officials. The ceremony begins at 11 in San Blas Park with the traditional shamanic cleansing and blessing followed by the unveiling of a plaque by members of Good Shepherd monastery. Correa will speak at...

The day before Paul Granda assumes duties as Cuenca’s new mayor, his war of words over the city’s financial condition continues to rage with outgoing mayor Marcelo Cabrera. The point of contention is the size of the city debt and whether accounts receivable will be enough to save the day. Granda has held several meetings...

Police at Calderon Park have begun issuing tickets to pedestrians violating Ecuador’s new traffic laws. The first citations for those not using marked crosswalks were handed out on Monday at the intersection of Calles Cordero and Bolivar. The first day of enforcement did not go smoothly, however. Police near the park found themselves spending more...

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting that the eastern Pacific will experience an El Niño in late 2009 and early 2010, with Ecuador and Peru bearing the brunt of the weather. El Niños are triggered by a rise in ocean surface temperatures and occur, on average, twice a decade. In recent...

Fifty-four hikers from 15 countries set out on the annual Ruta Inka expedition July 3 in Pasto, Colombia, with plans to arrive in Ingapirca, Ecuador’s largest Incan ruin, 45 miles north of Cuenca, August 12. The annual trek highlights restoration and historical projects on the Incan Trail. Ecuador President Rafael Correa made an unannounced visit...

The Azuay Provincial Court has ordered turnstiles on city buses to be removed by end of October. The July 10 ruling cannot be appealed. Installed in most buses when the new charge card and exact change procedures went into affect in January, the turnstiles have been the focus of criticism from groups claiming that they...

If you shop at Cuenca’s Ninth of October market, you’ll find getting into and out of the area a little easier these days. On Thursday, police began clearing the streets and sidewalk near the market of unlicensed street vendors who, according to authorities, were causing traffic and pedestrian congestion. Although the recently renovated market is...

Cuenca’s Mayor Marcelo Cabrera acknowledged on Monday that the city faces serious economic challenges and could have difficulty meeting all of its 2009 budget obligations. “We are faring better than most municipalities in Ecuador but we are not immune from the crisis facing this country and the rest of the world,” Cabrera said. According to...

U.S. President Barack Obama said Tuesday that Ecuador would continue to enjoy trade preferences, while extending Bolivia's suspension from the program. In reviewing the countries' eligibility for the two countries' Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act, Obama declined to determine either that Bolivia had satisfied the requirements of the act or that Ecuador failed...