New rules for bus passengers; Cultural agenda; Expat faces murder charge in U.S.; Christmas decorations going up; Garbage fee dilemma unresolved

Bored? –
(De El Mercurio del miércoles, 19/11) Abren exposición sobre tradiciones campesinas (Exhibition on rural traditions opens) – El Museo de la Paja Toquilla y el Sombrero (Rafael M. Arízaga y Luis Cordero) opened the “La fiesta religiosa en la comunidad campesina” exhibit el jueves. This show by photographer Byron Leiva reflects on the devotion, traditions and identity of the rural communities in the region, and shows how religious fiestas are celebrated, along with their associated customs. The exhibit will run for the next few weeks and is free for visitors interested in knowing the cultural practices of campesino communities.

(De El Mercurio del miércoles, 19/11) Estrenan “Ensayo para la muerte de un clown” (Premiere of “Rehearsal for the Death of a Clown”) – The ‘Desastre Clown group will present “Rehearsal for the Death of a Clown” in the Sala Alfonso Carrasco on the 20 & 21/11 a las 19:30. The work combines theater of the absurd <Laurel and Hardy?>, physical comedy <3 Stooges?>, autofiction (?), and clown <Emmet Kelly?>. You <or your facilitator>, can make reservations at 099 860 6542. Presale ticket price: $8.00 and $10.00 at the door.

The Orquesta Sinfónica and the Coro Polifónico of the U. of Cuenca will perform works written by Cuencano musician Cristian Tacuri Friday, Nov. 21 at 8p.m. at the Teatro Carlos Cueva Tamariz Theater.

(De El Mercurio del miércoles, 19/11) “Piensa en mí”, obra de teatro para reflexionar sobre la vejez (“Think of Me,” a play to reflect on old age) – The play, “Piensa en mi – voces que no se olvidan” (“Think of me – voices that are not forgotten”) by the theater company ‘La Butaca Teatro’ will open el 20 & 21/11 a las 20:00 in the Teatro Pumapungo. The work deals with old age, solitude, and the persistence of memory. <Except in my experience, my memory has not persisted. It’s fled the field.> The scene takes the viewer to Cuenca in the 80’s when there was research with the elderly in the Hogar Cristo Rey.

Histories and lives were collected to show the nostalgia, absence of their children, and economic difficulties facing seniors. The 50 minute play which pays tribute to adultos mayores is categorized as a romantic comedy. <Life as an adulto mayor is more comedy than tragedy when you maintain a good attitude about things like finally finding your house keys, then realizing that you’re trying to get into the car. Which is a good thing, because now you can get back into your house to look for the car keys.> Tickets are available at Librería Palier, Restaurante El Tayta (Calle Larga), online at meet2go or on the social networks of La Butaca Teatro. Cost: $10 for the general public and $8 for children and senior citizens.

(De El Mercurio del jueves, 20/11) Agenda Cultural, 21/11 – <This listing of stuff is scrambled to the point that I have no idea what I’m translating>
Parish festivals –
San Miguel de Porotos parish festival in honor of the Señor de Cristo Rey – 20 to 23/11 – Parish center – Raffle for a trip to the Galápagos.
10:30 – Parque De La Madre – L’art d’ accomoder les restes.
17:00 – Teatro Sucre (<Calle Sucre y Luis Cordero)

(De El Mercurio del jueves, 20/11) Juan Luis Guerra en su versión sinfónica (Juan Luis Guerra in his symphonic version) The Orquesta Sinfónica and the Coro Polifónico of the U. of Cuenca will perform works written by Cuencano musician Cristian Tacuri on the 20 & 21/11 a la 20:00 at the Teatro Carlos Cueva Tamariz with an invited band. <So who is Juan Luis Guerra who only showed up in the headline?>

(De El Mercurio del jueves, 20/11) Quimera traerá estreno a Cuenca (Quimera will premiere in Cuenca) – The group Quimera will launch a new version of Luz de luna in Cuenca el 22/11 a las 19:00. Tickets are available at El Surtido and Meet To Go with a 50% discount for seniors and children, and 20% for the students of UTE. No location given. <I think the newspaper just got a batch of new journalism interns and gave them the entertainment page to screw up.>

Question to readers – The Thursday edition has 3 articles about literary events – 2 book launches and a writers’ and poets’ conference in Azogues. I will not translate these kinds of articles unless the books’ subject matters are of general or gringo interest. If any of you are interested in books, respond in the comments section. Remember that the books and conferences are in Spanish and sometimes seem to be someone’s Masters or Ph.D thesis.

Curious? –
(De El Mercurio del martes, 18/11) Usuarios de buses (Bus users) – The Cámara de Transporte de Cuenca (CTA – Cuenca Chamber of Transportation whose members are the urban bus companies) Starting el jueves, urban bus users who want to recharge their bus cards will need to register their cédula numbers. <I guess that brave or adventurous tourists are out of luck.> The CTA explained that this measure seeks to improve benefits for riders. These will include getting the balance back if you lose your card, access to the Movilizate App, the possibility of consulting on the movements of the card <Consulting by whom?This sounds like it could become a law enforcement tool.>, and in the future, integration with the Tranvía system through interoperability between both services.

(De El Mercurio del martes, 18/11) Prófugo de EE.UU. vivió en Ecuador (Fugitive from the US lived in Ecuador) – An investigation by US authorities revealed that 68-year-old David Barklow, accused of the murder of another man in December of 2004 in Chicago, lived in Ecuador since 2022. He was arrested when he left to go to Perú in April of 2025 and was extradited in mid-November to face charges of first-degree murder.

(De El Mercurio del miércoles, 19/11) Tasa de basura (Garbage fee) – Although Pres. Noboa’s Government hasn’t resolved how to collect garbage service fees which can no longer be billed along with the electric bill, Cuenca is still expecting that decision to be reversed. Meanwhile, the city is analyzing Plan B to get the funds that EMAC EP <the municipal garbage company> needs to ensure the sustainability of services. The most viable option according to Verónica Polo, General Manager of ETAPA EP, is to include the garbage charge on the water bill generated by ETAPA. The two municipal businesses have met to define the mechanism that Cuenca will adopt.

(De El Mercurio del miércoles, 19/11) Instalarán luces y megapesebre (Lights and a giant nativity scene to be installed) – Christmas lights will be lit on el jueves, 4/12 in different parts of the city. The traditional Christmas tree, 32 meters high, will be in the Plaza San Francisco and the manger scene will be in the plaza de El Otorongo. The placement of the decorations will start in noviembre and technicians from the Fundación Municipal Iluminar and the Public Works department will be in charge. Manuel Huiracocha, head of the Foundation, said that this year more spaces will be lit including the Parque Calderón, the Franciso Sojos stairs, the Plaza Toulop and av. Fray Vicente Solano. Also the Foundation is analyzing a proposal to light the bridges that connect the Centro Histórico with the outlying areas. The bridges being considered include El Vado and the road down to el Centenario. This year more sectors will be included since last year they were limited due to the drought.

(De El Mercurio del jueves, 20/11) OEA: preocupan hechos de consulta y referéndum (OAS: Concerns over consultation and referendum) – The Electoral Observation Mission of the OAS presented its preliminary report about acts that occurred during the referendum over which concern was expressed. The areas of concern were mainly the short period of time to organize the elections and conduct campaigns, the possible abuse of public funds by the Government, disinformation and promotion in social networks without any control by the Consejo Nacional Electoral (CNE), and more. The observers called attention to various ministries that did not respect the period of silence before the election and campaigned on their social networks. They also noted that the president, 2 days before the elections, handed out bonos (payments to poor and unemployed Ecuadorians) and advanced the décimo (Christmas bonus for employees). <Doesn’t look like he got what he paid for. This is the first election I can remember when Ecuador didn’t come through with flying colors and reports of no problems at all.>

(De El Mercurio del jueves, 20/11) Hay 20 monitores de velocidad (There are 20 speed monitors) – The Empresa Municipal de Movilidad (EMOV EP) has installed 20 speedmonitors in different areas of the city. They are warning drivers who exceed speed limits, but are not issuing fines. Their goal is to reduce the risk of accidents in high traffic zones. There are 4 on av. 24 de Mayo, 2 each on Ordóñez Lasso, González Suárez, Paseo de los Cañaris, av. De las Américas, Paseo 3 de Noviembre, and av. 10 de Agosto. There is one each on av. 12 de Abril, Panamericana Sur, Octavio Chacón Díaz and calle Cuzco. The speed limits on these streets vary between 30 & 50 km/h. EMOV plans on installing another 5 to 10 by the end of the year. <Don’t get too used to blowing past these monitors at 60 km/h because the city can turn them on to issue fines any time it wants.>
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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.