Quito volcano shows increased activity; Cuenca is most expensive city; Mayo Clinic opens new Ecuador office; Peru reverses decision on Nazca preserve
The Guagua Pichincha volcano, 12 kilometers west of Quito, is showing signs of reactivation. The Geophysical Institute
reported Saturday that an eruption is not imminent, but that “general indicators” show increased activity in recent weeks and months.
“The current activity is the result of a process that began at the end of 2023,” said Institute Director Alexandra Alvarado. “Since the beginning of the year we have experienced an increase in emissions and internal activity within in the crater, as well as a series of small earthquakes. “Currently, we are in a period of relative calm but have shortened the intervals of our monitoring reports.”
Cuenca’s cost of living is the highest in Ecuador, as measured by the government’s “basic basket” of essential goods and services.
In a bulletin, the institute said Guagua Pichincha was in a period of dormancy from 1660, when a large eruption occurred, until 1981. There have been small to medium eruptions in 1993, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2008, several of which covered Quito in up to 4 centimeters of ash.
Although an eruption of the magnitude of the 1660 event is unlikely, the institute says it is possible. That eruption covered Quito in as much as 25 centimeters of ash and pumice. “Given the increase of population in the past 400 years, such an eruption today could be catastrophic for the city,” the institute said.
Cuenca is the most expensive city
Cuenca has the highest cost of living in Ecuador as measured by the government’s “basic basket” of monthly household goods and services. In May, the items in the basket cost $860.07 in the city, compared to the national average of $812.30.
The lowest basket costs were in Esmeraldas and Ambato, with costs of $793.19 and $809.55, respectively.
The cost of Cuenca’s basket rose $14 from April, when the cost was $846. The National Institute of Statistics said the inflation was mostly the result of the end of electric subsidies applied following last year’s blackouts.
Mayo Clinic opens second Ecuador office
The U.S.-based Mayo Clinic is adding a second patient information office in Ecuador. The staff in the new Guayaquil office will assist patients traveling to the Mayo Clinic for care, and work with insurance companies, referring physicians and others to communicate with its clinics in the U.S.
Mayo Clinic’s first Ecuador office opened in Quito in 2009. Mayo now has patient information offices in 15 countries, including several in Latin America.
Mayo Clinics are located in Rochester, Minnesota, Jacksonville, Florida, and Phoenix, Arizona, in the U.S. There is a foreign clinic location in London.
Peru reverses decision on Nazca Lines preserve
The Peruvian government has reversed its decision to reduce the protected area around the Nazca Lines, reinstating the original 5,600km² zone.
The reversal is the result of historic and environmental concerns that the reduction exposed the ancient site to the risks of informal mining operations and could lead to the destruction of historic sites.
The Nazca Lines, located about 400km south of Lima, is home to more than 800 pre-Hispanic geoglyphs.
The government may still adjust the size of the preserve but will leave the final decision to a committee of anthropologists and ecologists. “The process must be free of political considerations,” the Interior Ministry said Friday in a statement.
