Mayor uses armored car following threats; Buses add video surveillance; Azuay and Morona Santiago hike honors priest; Uzhupud highrise project abandoned

Bored? –
(De El Mercurio del viernes, 6/11) Difunden agenda del XI Festival de Artes Vivas 2026 (Program for the 11th Living Arts Festival 2026 announced) – Last miércoles, the Municipality of Loja presented the program for the XI Festival de Artes Vivas Loja (FIAVL) 2026 in Cuenca . The Festival will run from el 12/11 to el 22/11 with Germany as the invited country. There will be about 400 espectáculos (shows – your word for the day) with artists from 13 countries, free activities in public spaces, and theater performances which will cost $5 with tickets available from the digital platform GetOut.

(De El Mercurio del viernes, 6/11) Promociones y descuentos en Coral durante el Viernes Negro (Black Friday sales and discounts at Coral) – <This is for all of you who are addicted to the great American hobby of shopping.> Black Friday is a commercial time of year that has attracted the attention of Ecuadorian consumers. Various Ecuadorian chains have campaigns that extend beyond the traditional Friday, and this includes Coral which will have a Black Friday that runs from el miércoles, 25/11 to el lunes, 30/11. There will be 2×1 specials in the supermarket and discounts of up to 80% in the rest of its stores.

U.S. and Ecuadorian military veterans marched Saturday in a Veterans’ Day Parade organized by U.S. expats. (El Mercurio)

How to take advantage of the deals? Specialists in consumption recommend establishing a budget beforehand, identify the necessary products, and compare prices before you make the purchasing decision. <And maybe if you think hard about it, you might decide you don’t need a coffee maker that not only makes coffee, but wakes you up, makes the bed, and picks out your clothes for the day. Or maybe you already have a wife.>

(De El Mercurio del viernes, 6/11) Caminata por Azuay y Morona (Hike through Azuay and Morona) – The new edition of the Caminata Ecoturística Religiosa (Religious Ecotourism Hike) “Padre Albino del Curto” will be from el miércoles, 11/11 to el sábado 14/11. The hike will pass through areas of the Parque Nacional Río Negro-Sopladora and Tinajillas-Río Gualaceño which is a 33,742 hectare protected space located in both provinces. In the area are 262 species of vertebrates and 44 species of endemic plants. The pilgrimage honors Father Albino del Curto who spurred the opening of a road to connect the communities in the Sierra with those in the Amazonía in 1916. The program will start el miércoles 11/11 in the Sevilla de Oro canton with a celebration of a mass a las 18:00, followed by a cultural night. The hike will leave el jueves, 12/11 a las 4:00 and end el sábado, 14/11 in the gruta (cave) Santa Elena in Copal in Morona Santiago where a mass will be celebrated a las 11:00. The 40 km. hike is organized by community guides and various organizations including the Fundación Ecológica Rikcharine, Hub for the Americans Regional Network, and Sur Silvestre. If you are interested, call 099 880 8131, 098 420 6799, or 098 671 2289.

(De El Mercurio del viernes, 6/11) Alistan cita de coros de adultos mayores (Senior chorus event in the works) – The ‘Voces Perennes’ festival will unite 4 choruses of senior citizens in a concert on el jueves, 12/11 a las 19:00 in the Teatro Pumapungo de Cuenca. Participants will be the Voces Coradas from the Universidad para Personas Adultas Mayores (UPAM), Comunidad Sesenta, Arcano, and Santa Catalina.

Hungry? –
(De El Mercurio del viernes, 6/11) Banquete de cuy en Ricaurte (Guinea pig feast in Ricaurte) – Since last 1/11, the Ricaurte Parish has been holding activities in honor of its patron saint, San Carlos Borromeo. The programming starts el viernes, 13/11 with a mass a las 9:00, traditional games a las 10:00, a drawing and painting contest a las 14:00, and the opening of a crafts fair a las 15:00. That night, there will be another mass a las 19:00, dance groups a la 20:00, and the ‘Recuarte Canta a San Carlos’ event a las 21:00.

On el sábado, 14/11, starting a las 9:00, there will be various activities including a guinea pig “on the hoof” festival, traditional games, and more. There will be a mass a las 19:00, a serenade to San Carlos a las 20:00, and a music show a las 21:00 with Kandela Latina, Quinto Malo and the Cuencanísima orchestra. The activities central to the festivities will be on el domingo, 15/11. There will be a mass a las 9:00, a procession with the image of San Carlos a las 10:00, and the blessing of the cuyes and the start of the traditional banquet a las 10:30 <So are any gringos out there up for cuy for a late breakfast? Or are you all retching at the thought of eating cuy?> There will be another music show a las 1400 with Rock de 3 and the Hermanos Placencia.

Curious? –
(De El Mercurio del jueves, 5/11) Vinieron más de 61.000 turistas (More than 61,000 tourists came) – The economic impact of tourism during the Día de Difuntos and Independencia holiday was $38.2 million. This was up 26.6% from 2025 even with an austere municipal investment of $274,000. Hotel occupancy reached 89.22% with a high of 97.65% on el domingo, 1/11. As of 16:30 del martes, 4,531 passengers had arrived by air, and 47,609 had arrived at the Terminal Terrestre. There were 70 events attracting 488,478 attendees — 8.2% more than in 2025. Museums and historic houses received 33.4% more visits than in 2025. The fairs generated $119,728 in direct sales to the vendors. Xavier Barrera, director of the Consejo de Seguridad Ciudadana reported 235 incidents, less than the 551 in 2025; and no deaths as opposed to 4 in 2025. Robberies decreased by 39% and transit incidents by 53%. On the other hand, arrests for drunk driving rose 67%. EMOV EP reported 47 drivers were arrested for alcoholemia (blood alcohol levels) compared to 12 in 2025. <Maybe the cops got the drunks off the road before they could cause more transit incidents.>

The Uzhupud Sky Garden project near Paute was cancelled following protests by neighbors and environmental concerns. (El Mercurio)

(De El Mercurio del jueves, 5/11) Alcaldesa utiliza vehículo blindado por su seguridad (Mayor uses armored vehicle for her safety) – Mayor Marisol Peñaloza reported she had received threats to her safety and for that she is using an armored vehicle in accordance with recommendations from the Policía Nacional and security authorities. She said that recently, the threats were stronger saying she only had a few days left. <I think that would scare anyone into the use of an armored vehicle if they had access to one.> She also reported the use of a page that belonged to ETAPA EP and that had apparently changed its name in order to publish attacks on communications media, the Municipality, and against her. Assemblyman Adrián Castro expressed his solidarity with Peñaloza and attributed the threats to pages managed by a “Troll center that all Cuenca knows,” and asked for intervention from the District Attorney’s Office. <Are those the same trolls that lurk on gringo sites?>

(De El Mercurio del jueves, 5/11) Suspenden construcción de Uzhupud Sky Garden (Construction of the Uzhupud Sky Garden suspended) – Juan Pablo Martínez, advisor to Ecuagenera, announced the suspension of the construction of the Uzhupud Sky Garden which had generated debate in Paute. He said that after analyzing the situation, the promoters decided to look for alternatives in another province with more favorable conditions to develop the project. The main questions in Paute were about the height of the building (12 stories) and the impact on the landscape and environment as well as the permits needed for construction. <I know what the nickname for that building would be just from the renderings – it would be The Egg.>

(De El Mercurio del jueves, 5/11) Jacobo Bucaram, detenido y extraditado (Jacobo Bucaram, arrested and extradited) – Jacobo Bucaram Pulley, son of the ex-president Abdalá Bucaram was arrested by the Policía Nacional in Guayaquil along with 2 other people and all will be extradited to the US. Minister of the Interior, John Reimberg said the arrest was based on an Interpol red alert for a case in the US, but he didn’t give any details. He said the message is clear: there are no privileges, no untouchables, and no room for impunity. Bucaram, along with his father, was sentenced in septiembre, 2026 for the Pruebas COVID-19 case in which they were investigated for organized criminal activities, and he was sentenced to 9 years and 4 months as an accomplice. <You think that maybe Trump’s kids need to start making plans for their new lives — on the run or with an orange wardrobe?>

(De El Mercurio del viernes, 6/11) Videovigilancia dentro de buses (Video surveillance inside buses) – La Dirección General de Movilidad announced that urban buses will have 4 video surveillance cameras as well as security buttons in cases of robberies, sexual assault and other risky situations while on the bus. These devices were part of a plan to improve public transport safety, approved by the Concejo Cantonal in 12/2025 and updated in 9/2026. Berenice Cubides, general director of Movilidad, explained the cameras cover the front and back interior areas of the bus. The buttons are located in the driver’s compartment and at the back of the bus. They should connect to the platform of the Consejo de Seguridad Ciudadana. The Cámara de Transporte de Cuenca (CTC) manages an agreement with the Azuay Government and the Policía Nacional for plain clothes agents to conduct controls inside the buses. Boris Ochoa, president of the union, said that the proposal arose after an assault in which a passenger was cut in the face, and said that the measures will be operating in the middle of 2027.

(De El Mercurio del viernes, 6/11) Habrá cierres viales, hoy y mañana (There will be road closures today <Friday> and Saturday) – The Dirección de Gestión de Movilidad de Cuenca announced road closures for el viernes y el sábado for the Desfile de Veteranos de EE. UU. y Ecuador (U.S. and Ecuadorian Veterans’ Parade), and the game between Deportivo Cuenca and Orense. <Did any US veterans participate in Friday’s parade? Have the two countries ever fought in a common war?> Street closures for Saturday’s game will be on the streets around the Stadium, specifically José Peralta, Manuel J. Calle, and Roberto Crespo.
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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.