Events and notices: ‘Monster mall’ opens later this year; ‘3rd World’ band plays; New supermarket opens

El Mall del Alto <The Monster on the Mountain> prevé apertura para el 2026 – The opening for the Mall del Alto is planned for 2026. Patricio Ortiz, executive president of the GO Group said there will be 180 commercial spaces, 150 islands, a hyper-market <Coral on steroids?>, food court, latest technology movie theaters, bars, discotheques on terraces, gyms, and recreational spaces for all ages <including a seniors’ gym where you do curls with walkers, crutches, and canes>.

Mall del Alto, across the autopista from Mall del Rio, will open later this year with 150 stores.

Starting in July, the operators of the stores can start finishing out their spaces. Ortiz said there will be brands that are not currently in Ecuador such as Carolina Herrera, H&M and Old Navy. <I want Costco, I want Costo, I want Costco – the heck with Walmart.> There will also be a go-kart track and a sala de bolos <GoogleTranslate says that’s a ballroom.>.

Tercer Mundo amplía fechas de Íntimo Tour – The Ecuadorian band Tercer Mundo is continuing its “TercerMundo Íntimos Tour Discotecas 2025” with a show in Cuenca on June 18 in El Centro. <No location given, but you’re probably all on Facebook and so can look up the band and tour for yourself.> Previous shows in 7 cities were sold out and the band has been adding new dates and venues.

“Precio justo” un puente entre el campo y ciudad – A new 500 sq. m. supermarket which seeks to strengthen the rural economy was opened on Thursday, June 26 at Bolívar y Vargas Machuca at the location of the smaller, old agroecológica store. The supermarket “Precio justo” is managed by the Compañía de Economía Mixta AgroAzuay and is part of a commercial group that includes a bodega style store <warehouse?> on Max Uhle and 2 ferias. “Precio justo” brings production from the countryside to citizens who are looking for healthy, fresh, and traceable products. It will be supplied by about 300 producers from all over Azuay Province. They will supply their products on a rotating basis depending on the seasons and irrigation conditions. <Those of you who had vegetable gardens won’t be surprised if one day half the store is dedicated to zuchinni.> To become a supplier, you have to pass an on-site visit from AgroAzuay to verify that you are the actual producer and not a middleman, and that you comply with best practices for agriculture. The products should also be free of pesticides and follow post harvest control processes.

The supermarket will offer primary products such as fruits and vegetables as well as processed products such as chocolate, roasted coffee, honey, and artesanal cleaning products. There will also be a cafetería where the “Cocinando con AgroAzuay” program takes place with demonstrations of healthy cooking with the products available in the supermarket. The market is a non-profit operation which eliminates the middleman so it can pay more to the actual growers and producers. Currently, 16% of the customers are foreigners, mainly North Americans and Europeans <those who refuse to damage their health with SAD eating habits?>.