Parade highlights Cuenca traditions; Red Cross moto to the rescue; Award-winning film features legends of Ecuador; City fumigates for mosquitoes
Viernes, 1/11/2024
Hola, Todos –
Actividades –
Mago de Oz trae a Cuenca su “Feliz No Cumpleaños” (Mago de Oz brings “Happy Un-birthday” to Cuenca) – One of the most iconic heavy metal and folk bands, Mago de Oz, is coming to Cuenca from Spain with their “Feliz no Cumpleaños Tour 2024.” The concert will be el viernes, 8/11 a las 19:30 in the Colegio de Arquitectos with new songs on the program. Also on the program are Spanish symphonic metal band Avalanch and local band Crossfire. Tickets are available at TicketShow and the ticket booth at the Mall del Río. Cost: General, $30; VIP, $40; and Golden Box, $55.
Cuenca commemorates the Day of the Dead and its historical and cultural traditions with visits and tours of the city’s cemeteries. (El Mercurio)
‘Chuzalongo’, filme ecuatoriano se estrena en las salas de cine (Ecuadorian film ‘Chuzalongo’ opens in theaters) – The Chuzalongo legend premiered ayer at the Multicines in Batan Shopping. It will be shown hoy and to el 4/11 a las 14:10 and 19:00, and on the 5-6/11 a las 19:00. The plot explores mystery and the supernatural from an Ecuadorian cultural perspective. It interweaves ancestral myths and living traditions, taking the viewer to an Andean village in the 19th Century where a creature is stalking single women in the countryside. The film won the Best Full Length Iberoamericano film in the Festival Macabro FICH in México and was selected to represent Ecuador in the Goya Prizes. Actors from indigenous communities are part of the cast. Directed by Diego Ortuñio, this is a coproduction with Ecuador, Perú, Spain and Canada with an international cast. For Ortuñio, it’s important to preserve Ecuadorian legends that have been transmitted orally and could be lost to future generations. <Like the game telephone only across generations.>
De El Mercurio del jueves, 31/10/2024 (2 articles):
“Ecos de la época”, un viaje al pasado (“Echoes of the times”, a journey into the past) – The patrimony and memory of Cuenca are revived through the exhibit, “Ecos de las época,” which is a journey to the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. <Ah, when all of us old geezers here were young – before the wrinkles and body parts sagging towards our feet.> The opening will be el viernes, 1/11 a las 18:00 in the Antigua Escuela Central. The show includes fotos and home movies from those decades as well as cameras and movie cameras.
“La Mente” combina el vidrio y la luz (“The Mind” combines glass and light) – Artist Tarasieh Werle-Vahdat presents her show, “La Mente” in which glass and light intertwine to explore the profundity of the human condition. Her sculptures of brains represent different mental states – creative, poetic, and illuminated minds. It opened el jueves, 31/11 a las 11:00 in the Saladentro Gallery (Paseo 3 de Noviembre y Bajada de Todos Santos). From stained glass and utilitarian pieces to decorative sculptures, Werle-Vahdat’s work includes different techniques to model glass. Some pieces also incorporate other materials such as iron and wood.
Titular –
Desfile le pone ritmo a fiestas (Parade adds rhythm to festivities) – The traditional student parade had “Raices, Sabores y Tradiciones, Cuenca, cuna cultural” (“Roots, Flavors and Traditions, Cuenca, cultural cradle”) as its theme. Local authorities such as the mayor of Cuenca and the prefect and governor of Azuay participated as well as the student orchestras in the city. Different schools observed the overall theme with floats representing the Pase del Niño Viajero, the ruta gastronómica, and the ruta de las iglesias. Other contingents represented cultural themes such as Carnaval, local legends, ancestral medicine, the Mundialito de los Pobres, the ‘años viejos,’ Corpus Cristi, the comparsas of 6/1, and the calle De Las Herrerías. <And there in one parade you’ve got most of the major tourist attractions in the City. Kind of like the Cliff Notes if you can’t spend a year here to see all the attractions.>
Cuenca –
Fumigan por ola de mosquitos y de zancudos en Ucubamba (Fumigation due to wave of mosquitoes and mosquitoes in Ucubamba) – ETAPA is fumigating the areas near the Planta de Tratamiento de Aguas Residuales (PTAR – Wastewater Treatment Plant) for mosquitos which have increased due to the intense sun and lack of rain. Bodies of water where mosquitos breed are heating up and increasing that pest population. Neighbors are also complaining of bad smells. Fabián Cazar, ETAPA’s Potable Water and Sanitation manager, said that the inside of the plant is also being fumigated. He said that fumigating sites close to the plant can move the mosquitos to nearby zones and should be reported to ETAPA. Call 188 for a team from ETAPA to make an inspection and fumigate if needed. <Maybe being sucked dry of blood and losing sleep to the “zeee” at night will be motivation to learn enough Spanish to call ETAPA.>
Wastewater entering the treatment plant is stored in large ponds to be cleaned and then returned to the río Cuenca. Solids remaining after the cleaning process are collected in brick like masses for transportation to the landfill in Pichacay. <So now you know where all that s**t and flushed toilet paper goes. I wonder if the quantity of those bricks disproportionately increased once gringos who flush and don’t put used toilet paper in the garbage moved into town?>
Comercializan productos para Día de los Difuntos (Sales of products for the Day of the Dead) – The crafts fair next to the Iglesia del Carmen (calles Padre Aguirre & Sucre) brings vendors and craftspeople who are offering products to honor the memory of your loved ones. Visitors can find things such as candles, artificial flowers, religious articles, and decorations for the lápidas (headstones – your word for the day). <Heck, some of those items could probably be used “off label” and decorate your house.>
De El Mercurio del jueves, 31/10/2024 (1 article):
Plan para vacunación (Vaccination plan) – The Coordinación Zonal 6 of the Ministerio de Transporte y Obras Públicas (MTOP) <Not the Ministerio de Salud Público?> launched a vaccination campaign against the 2024-2025 seasonal flu. It has 409,927 doses for children and adults in Azuay, Cañar, and Morona Santiago. <Nothing said about where you can go to get a shot. And whatever your viewpoint is on vaccinations, please respect those who do not think as you do.>
Sucesos –
De El Mercurio del jueves, 31/10/2024 (1 article):
150 emergencias atendidas con motocicleta de Cruz Roja (150 emergencies attended with Red Cross motorcycle) – The assistance vehicle of the Red Cross has been in operation for 4 months and has responded to 150 emergencies. It provides first responder services to emergencies in the Centro Histórico. The work of the Vehículo de Asistencia y Apoyo (ACC – Assistance and Support Vehicle) is to help people rapidly and efficiently with response times of 3-5 minutes after the call to ECU911. The service works in a coordinated manner with the Ministerio de Salud Pública, Policía Nacional, Armed Forces, National Transit Agency, National Risk Management Service, Fire Department, and municipal services.
And that’s all for today so hasta ? –
Jeanne
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Editor’s note: Jeanne’s Periodico is a translated digest of news from the Cuenca daily newspaper El Mercurio. If details, such as event dates and times, do not appear in the translation, they did not appear in the newspaper (please don’t ask her for them). If information is incorrect, it is the responsibility of El Mercurio. The text between the carrots, or guillemets (< … >), is Jeanne’s personal opinion and not part of the news translation.
