Cuenca foundation holidays agenda online; Mexican Holy Week meal at Pedregal Azteca; Most experts oppose new gun rules; Sidewalk signs to be removed

Miércoles, 5/4/2023

Hola, Todos –

Actividades –

Una tertulia sobre sabores de Ecuador y México (A gathering on the flavors of Ecuador and Mexico) – Culinary researcher Nydia Vázquez and the founder of El Pedregal Azteca, Juan Manuel Ramos, held a “Tertulia Gastronómica” that ended today at 19:00 in El Pedregal Azteca (Estévez de Toral 8-60 y Simón Bolívar). It ended with a tasting “Menu de Comida Santa” which included fanesca, capirotada (a Mexican dessert), and horchata. The meal will be served el jueves, 6/4 and viernes, 7/4 during the restaurant’s regular hours and cost $17.50. You can make reservations by calling 07 282 3652 or WhatsApp at +095 953 0118.

Titular –

Juan Manuel Ramos, owner of the Pedregal Azteca restaurant, discusses Mexican cuisine with Nydia Vázquez. (El Mercurio)

240 bolardos se retirarán, poco a poco, de aceras (240 bollards will be removed, little by little, from sidewalks) – The city should remove 240 bollards from streets in the Centro Histórico to comply with a resolution from the Comisión de Áreas Históricas y Patrimoniales of the Cuenca Cantonal Council. The metal and concrete structures are an obstacle for the blind and those who use wheelchairs and andadores (walkers – your word for the day <and may you never need to have to use one>). <They’re also obstacles for newbies and the inattentive.> An ordinance passed in 2020 established a period of 3 years for the city to have adequate sidewalks, ramps, walkways and signage. The removal of these bollards will start on Calle Larga outside the mercado 10 de Agosto, and they will be replaced with 0.7 to 0.9 m. tall posts between 10 & 20 cm. in diameter. They will have a contrasting reflective band or a light on the top part. The color of the post will contrast with the paving color and should not have sharp edges. <So instead of catching you in the shins, it’ll catch you in the crotch?>

Informe –

Riesgos legales por use de armas (Legal risks for gun use) – <OK, here are answers to what some of you trigger happy gringos want to know. What will happen if you shoot someone.> Criminal attorney Juan Carlos Salazar said that if you have permission to carry a gun and use it in legitimate self defense, at the least there will be a criminal prosecution involved until it is justified. This is part of the debate opened with the decision to allow ownership and carrying of firearms for civil society. Most of the statements from academia, cultural institutions, the Church and authorities have been critical. Even though the Government states that the intention is to increase citizens’ security, legal experts state that it wasn’t a sound decision.

Salazar explained that by law, the the citizen who fired the shot will be arrested in flagrante delicto and an inquiry will follow. Although a citizen has permission to own and carry a gun does not mean that if he <and statistically, it would be a he> uses it and kills someone, he is exempt from being prosecuted, and could end up in a criminal investigation. At least, he would have to wait for the body to be removed, an autopsy done, and if in 24 hours he could justify legitimate defense, it wouldn’t be necessary to initiate criminal proceedings against the shooter. A homicide investigation can take up to two years, while a criminal proceeding can take up to four years. < Do you think a foreigner with a valid passport would not be considered a flight risk?> Salazar recommended not confusing possession of a gun with the liberty of using it.

Personally, he thought that a society that doesn’t respect pedestrian crosswalks and wants to arm one against another is una locura (madness/insanity), and from the viewpoint of criminal policy, “el Gobierno no sabe lo qué hace” (the Government does not know what it is doing). He said to change the underlying problem requires attacking the reasons why crimes are committed, and “El delincuente va a seguir delinquiendo.” (The criminal will continue to commit crimes.) He pointed out that those who are not prepared to carry arms is the citizenry. Also the requirements for gun ownership are administered by institutions permeable to acts of corruption. <You can connect those dots for yourself.>

For criminal lawyer María Paulina Araugo, carrying guns is not a solution to the insecurity since the State is the only party to watch over security. This is through its authority to prevent crime, and in the event of crime, to judge it. The Police is the institution that should assist and support. <Sounds like a different view of what the mission of the police is – not protect and serve. Maybe that’s why they don’t write tickets to traffic offenders.> According to ‘Global Firearms Holdings,’ there are 187,000 legally purchased and registered guns in Ecuador and an estimated 374,000 illegal guns.

Cuenca –

De El Mercurio del martes, 4/4 (1 article):
Una variada agenda por el aniversario de fundación (A varied agenda for the foundation anniversary) – The Dirección Municipal de Cultura has prepared a series of free activities during this month for the 466th anniversary of the founding of Cuenca. You can download the agenda from the Facebook page of the Dirección de Cultura del Municipio de Cuenca. Some of the events include an arts parade of students el 11/4 a las 9:00 starting from San Blas park and ending in the Plaza San Francisco and 2 concerts el 12/4. The first will be at 14:00 in el Parque Calderón with bandas de pueblo performing. The second will be at the Noche Cuencana a las 18:00 where there will be burning castillos. From the 15-16/4, there will be a crafts fair at the Casa de Chaguarchimbana with the best work of artisans in the canton. There will be a Festival de las Artes el 15/4 from 11-21:00 in the Antigua Escuela Central. The 3d edition of the Galerías Urbanas along with the 1st symposium on graffiti art as a tool of social transformation will be on 27 & 28/4.

And that’s all for today so Hasta ? –

Jeanne