Landslides keep highway closed; SOLCA warns of a scam; A migrant’s nightmare; Chinese terracotta warrior on display at MMAM; Urban art at Civic Plaza

Bored? –
(De El Mercurio del miércoles, 10/6) Desde China llega un Guerrero de Terracota (A Terracotta Warrior has arrived from China) – A replica of a Terracotta Warrior, one of the figures most representative of Chinese culture <I’d say the wok is most representative of Chinese culture, at least at an everyday level>, was presented el martes at the Museo Municipal de Arte Moderno (MMAM) as part of the Semana Cultural de China 2026. The sculpture was donated by Cuenca’s sister city of Xi’an. The unveiling of the sculpture was at MMAM along with the opening of an exhibit of Chinese painting, calligraphy and ceramics. The exhibit will run until el 20/6.

One of the famous Chinese terracotta warriors is on display at the Cuenca Museum of Modern Art. The warrior is on loan from Cuenca’s sister city, Xi’an, China. (El Mercurio)

(De El Mercurio del jueves, 11/6) Plaza Cívica, escenario abierto para arte urbano (Plaza Cívica, an open-air venue for urban art) – The 9 de Octubre Plaza Cívica will be the scene for the urban art event, “Plaza Tomada: Cuatro Elementos de la Pachamama” on el 27/6. The event will bring young artists in graffiti, DJ, MC (rap), and break dance from Cuenca and other cities in Ecuador. As part of the preparations, the City is opening a call for graffiti artists interested in having their designs used on metal barrels <garbage cans?> and T-shirts at the event.

The applicants should present sketches by el 14/6, inspired by the 4 elements of Pachamama: fire, air, earth, and water. The link to the sign-up form provided in the newspaper doesn’t work, so you’re on your own if you’d like to participate. The call is open to active artists in urban graphics, both Ecuadorians and foreigners living in the country, and more than 16 years old. <I doubt there are more than zero old gringo breakdancers or MC’s here. And probably not more than a handful that can even stand to listen to rap music.>

(De El Mercurio del viernes, 12/6) “Tango Coral y Bandoneón en el Pumapungo, mañana (Tango Chorus and Bandoneón in Pumapungo, tomorrow) – The Tango Chorus and Bandoneón concert will be at the Teatro Pumapungo today, Saturday, 13/6 a las 20:00 with Aires de Bandoneón, the Coro Santa Catalina, and the Coro Juvenil del Conservatorio Superior “José María Rodríguez.” The program will include works by Ángel Villoldo, Carlos Gardel, Alfedo Le Pera, Astor Piazzolla, Enrique Santos Discépolo, Mariano Mores y Homero Manzi, among others. Tickets are available from Almacenes La Victoria, El Surtido and online at ticketin.ec.

(De El Mercurio del sábado, 13/6) “Migrante”: odisea humana hacia el sueño americano” (“Migrant”: A Human Odyssey Toward the American Dream) – “Migrante” by professor and researcher Fredi Portilla Farfán, was launched at the Universidad Politécnica Salesiana (UPS) in Cuenca. The book is centered on stories such as that of Diana, a 17-year-old from Chordeleg who financed her journey to the US with a mortgage on the family home to pay a coyote. Her objective of improving her and her loved ones’ economic situation turned into a pesadilla (nightmare – your word for the day) of exploitation and violence.

The book is based on real stories, showing the difficult conditions that confront Ecuadorians and Latin Americans who abandon their countries in search of opportunities. It questions the idealized vision of the “American dream.” <Ironic that I had to move to Ecuador to fulfill the comfortable retirement part of the American dream.> The book also analyzes the structural causes of migration, and seeks to generate reflection about one of the most relevant current social phenomena. It also puts a human face on the statistics about migration. <Which is often lacking in the portrayal of immigrants as villains, criminals, and sometimes not even human.>

Curious? –
(De El Mercurio del viernes, 12/6) Suzuki presenta el primer sedán híbrido en Ecuador (Suzuki unveils the first hybrid sedan in Ecuador) – Suzuki introduced the new Dzire Hybrid in Ecuador to respond to the demand for an efficient vehicle with lower gas consumption and emissions. The car will get 93 km per gallon in mixed driving conditions <I bet that goes way down on the drive from Guayaquil to Cuenca.>. It can seat 5 passengers <plus a dog on the roof if you vacation like Mitt Romney>, has a 9″ multimedia screen compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, cruise control, automatic climate control, a smart key <probably smarter than me. I’d have to call the dealership to have them tell me how to unlock the car.>, 6 airbags, and hill start assist <for those of you who’ve never completely mastered driving a stick shift.>

(De El Mercurio del viernes, 12/6) Tránsito restringido en Monay (Traffic restrictions in Monay) – El Ministerio de infraestructura y Transporte (MIT) suspended nighttime traffic on calle José Carrasco Arteaga due to the construction work for the Monay interchange. The measure started el miércoles and will be in effect until domingo between 22:00 and 5:00. During these hours, vehicles that normally use the redondel will be detoured to calle Cuzco via a temporary ramp over the center planting strip to continue to av. 24 de Mayo.

(De El Mercurio del sábado, 13/6) Sigue cerrada la vía Cuenca-Pasaje (Vía Cuenca-Pasaje remains closed) – The vía Cuenca-Girón-Pasaje is closed due to a chain of landslides that have affected the road since last martes, 9/6. This is the main route between Azuay and El Oro. The worst damage is between kilometers 79 & 105 where about 40,000 cubic meters of rocky material cover the roadway. MIT confirmed that there is no date for reopening the road. 9 machines from different institutions are working from the ends of the slides to remove the material. Authorities are reinforcing security in Sarayunga and Uzhucay to keep people out of the risk zones. There have been no reports to ECU911 about any people trapped or missing. Drivers of light vehicles can use the vía Cuenca-Molleturo-El Empalme, and heavy vehicles can use the Zhud-Cochancay-El Triunfo route.

(De El Mercurio del sábado, 13/6) Today’s cartoon – Un ojo de la cara (An arm and a leg) – The cartoon shows Joe Citizen looking at a gas station price billboard that lists “Super cara, Extra mala y cara, & Diesveces más cara” (Super expensive, Extra bad and expensive, and 10 times more expensive).

(De El Mercurio del sábado, 13/6) SOLCA alerta una posible estafa con use de nombre (SOLCA warns of a possible scam involving the use of its name) – La Sociedad de Lucha Contra el Cáncer del Ecuador (SOLCA) warned that unscrupulous people are using SOLCA’s name to make unauthorized purchases. It said that purchases by SOLCA are done through formal processes, authorized by the appropriate authorities. Any purchase that does not comply with the formal process will not be recognized by the institution.
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Information in this column, including dates, times and locations, is courtesy of the El Mercurio newspaper. Comments between the carrots, or guillemets (< … >), are the personal opinions of the author and not part of the news translation.