Rooftop bars and restaurant could face regulation; Turi inmates escape; Cuenca shelters for indigent families and victims of violence; Egg prices rise
Bored? –
(De El Mercurio del lunes, 28/9) Casa de la Cultura acoge la tradiciĆ³n artesanal de Sinincay (The Casa de la Cultura showcases Sinincay’s artisanal traditions) – The show, “Sinincay Vibra Artesanal: Arte, TradiciĆ³n e Identidad” will open
el miĆ©rcoles a las 18:00 in the Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana NĆŗcleo del Azuay (Luis Cordero y Pres. CĆ³rdova). The show will reunite crafts expressions and introduce attendees to the crafts, techniques, and knowledge that forms part of Sinincay’s cultural identity.
(De El Mercurio del miĆ©rcoles, 30/9) Cuenca serĆ” la sede del CafĆ© y Cacao Fest 2026 (Cuenca will host the 2026 Coffee and Cocoa Fest) – The CafĆ© y Cacao Fest will be on el 9-11/10 in the Hotel Oro Verde with producers, roasters, chocolate makers, baristas, and other businesses in the coffee and cocoa chain. The event will be free with pre-registration in the official Facebook and Instagram accounts of the CafĆ© y Cacao Fest. The agenda will include commercial and agroindustrial exhibits, conferences and workshops with invited national and international participants. The organizers hope to attract visitors during the national holiday weekend.
The Hotel Oro Verde hosts the 2026 CafƩ y Cacao Fest November 9 and 10. The event showcases the products and skills of producers, roasters, chocolate makers, baristas, and others in the coffee and cocoa trades. (El Mercurio)
(De El Mercurio del miĆ©rcoles, 30/9) Rotofest celebra 20 aƱos con techno internacional (Rotofest celebrates 20 years with international techno) – El Festival Rotofest will celebrate 20 years el sĆ”bado, 10/10 with electronic music, independent culture and digital creation at the Puente Roto starting at 13:00. The festival will feature Belgian DJ Marco Bailey. Also on the program are Cristina Tosio from Spain, Mila Sommer and DomĆ©nca Navarreta from Guayaquil, Cuencanan artists Jorge Piedra, Molac y Minerva and JU from Quito.
Curious? –
(De El Mercurio del lunes, 28/9) 10 casas dan esperanza (10 homes give hope) – At least 10 shelters for vulnerable people and victims of violence function in Cuenca, 9 of which have agreements with the City. The Posada de San Francisco, in the plaza San Francisco sector, is the only one providing temporary and emergency housing for indigent families. It has a capacity to house 40 people, and it feeds 150 people daily. It is administered by the Church which also receives help from different institutions, including the City. The other 9 shelters are administered by institutions, foundations and other organizations. In these, the beneficiaries stay for longer periods, including permanently, depending on their situations and until the conditions of their lives improve.
The Casa MarĆa Amor, El Buen Pastor, and that of the Madres Corredentoras serve women who are victims of violence or in a state of vulnerability and their children. Cristo Rey, Miguel LeĆ³n, and Santa Ana serve seniors, with Miguel LeĆ³n also sheltering girls. The Centro de Acogimiento para NiƱos, NiƱas y Adolescentes (Cemisol) are for minors and their mothers. Casa Violeta is a refuge for women who are victims of violence and their children. There is also a shelter administered by religious groups who provide temporary housing for people who are sick or coming to Cuenca for medical processes or treatments.
(De El Mercurio del martes, 29/9) Pago de multas con tarjeta (Paying fines by card) – <This is for all 5 or 6 of you gringos for whom, for whatever reason, voting is mandatory.> The Consejo Nacional Electoral (CNE) expanded the system of collecting electoral fines. You can pay online with Visa and Mastercard credit or debit cards at www.cne.gob.ec. You can also pay at affiliated banks such as the Banco PacĆfico, IntermĆ”tico, and Banca MĆ³vil. There are also non-bank alternatives listed on the CNE website. If you are required to vote and don’t, the fine is $48.20 or 10% of the Salario BĆ”sico Unificado (SBU). People who have not voted in 4 consecutive elections and have not done any electoral paperwork during this period are put on the Registro Electoral Pasivo. <I wonder if there are dead people on that list? I think the last time dead people voted regularly was in Chicago when Daley was mayor. Trump is still looking for all those dead Democrats who are still voting.>
(De El Mercurio del martes, 29/9) Precio del huevo vuelve a elevarse por menor oferta (Egg prices rise again due to lower supply) – The price of a flat of 30 large eggs has been increasing incrementally for a month, reaching $4.75 at some locations in Cuenca. At the farms, the price reached $3.80 in the 4th week of septiembre. The increases were due to fewer laying hens, higher production and transport costs, and the eggs going to markets in Colombia y PerĆŗ. One vendor said the prices run from $3.80 for a flat of small eggs up to $4.50-$4.75 for large eggs. She is also receiving fewer flats – from 6.000 a week down to 3,500 or 4,000. 1,000 of these were from Cuenca and the other 5,000 from Ambato.
A vendor at the mercado 10 de Agosto, attributed part of the increase to higher prices for corn and soy which are used in bird chow. Corn has a special place in the costs of poultry farming since national production doesn’t cover the demand in the sector so Ecuador has to import corn. There is also a risk due to El NiƱo on the coast where a large part of corn production is concentrated. <So get ready for your breakfast to get more costly. Hopefully eggs won’t wind up as expensive as they got in the US.> Between 11/2025 & 2/2026, a flat of eggs was $2.20 at the farm which reduced producers’ margins. The producers took between 3 and 4 million birds out of production <Those probably wound up in the meat section of the markets.> With the price increases, producers are rebuilding their flocks. Egg consumption is about 212 eggs per person per year.
(De El Mercurio del martes, 29/9) Ordenanza sobre salud mental estĆ” “en construcciĆ³n” (Mental Health Ordinance is āIn Developmentā) – Cuenca is preparing a mental health ordinance to establish municipal actions for prevention <Preventing mental health?> and attention, with an emphasis on youth, seniors, disabled people, migrant populations, and residents of rural parishes. Alfredo Campoverde Cisneros, executive director of the Consejo Cantonal de Salud, explained the ordinance seeks to adapt actions to the local reality where the suicide rate in Azuay is 11.5 for every 100,000 inhabitants. The national rate is 5.5. Since 2024, the city has had a Centro de Adicciones y Salud Mental in the 9 de Octubre where 15,000 cases of anxiety, depression, and suicidal behavior have been attended to. In Cuenca, National Police data show 60 deaths due to suicide or self inflicted wounds. 70% were men, and 30% were women. The suicide rate for the canton was 14.37 per every 100,000 residents.
(De El Mercurio del martes, 29/9) Dos reos se fugan de la cĆ”rcel de Turi (Two inmates escape from the Turi prison) – About 2:30 on Monday morning, 2 of the 3 inmates in cell 52 in a minimum-security wing used sheets to lower themselves to a patio and ran towards checkpoint #3 where it is assumed they left the prison. One was jailed for drug trafficking and the other for robbery. Surveillance cameras showed the path of the escapees who walked next to a church then ran to the Los Eucaliptos sector, and then into the shrubbery next to av. 12 de Octubre. Lastly, they got to the Cuenca-Azogues autopista in the 12 de Octobre sector. The 3d inmate was found tied up in the cell. <Reported in an article in El Mercurio del miĆ©rcoles, authorities were still looking for the two escapees.> People believe employees at the prison assisted the escapees through the prison entrance and are investigating.
(De El Mercurio del miĆ©rcoles, 30/9) Plan busca regular a ‘Rooftop turĆstico’ (The plan aims to regulate ārooftop tourismā) – The AsociaciĆ³n de Restaurantes de Cuenca (AREC) and the CĆ”mara de Turismo del Azuay are proposing the creation and regulation of the “Rooftop turĆstico” category in the Ecuadorian tourist system. It would recognize these establishments as elevated spaces serving food, drinks and entertainment under technical parameters for security, capacity, acoustical management, accessibility, public health, civic coexistence, and compliance with existing laws <I hope they don’t forget emergency exiting. I’d hate to be stuck on a roof with a kitchen fire and only elevators or a 6 story jump for exits>. The proposal would have ‘rooftops’ functioning partially or totally on terraces. There would be requirements to have an active RUC for that activity and appropriate permits. The proposal identified 67 ‘rooftops’ in Ecuador including 13 in Cuenca, 10 in Quito, 11 in Guayaquil, 5 in Manta, 3 in Riobamba, and more in other cities.
(De El Mercurio del miĆ©rcoles, 30/9) ReducciĆ³n del IVA rige para feriado de octubre (IVA Reduction applies to the October holiday) – The Government ordered a temporary reduction in the IVA from 15% to 8% for tourist services during the holiday from el viernes 9/10 to el domingo, 11/10. The measure has the goal of incentivizing internal tourism and consumption of services related to the sector such as lodging.
(De El Mercurio del miĆ©rcoles, 30/9) Proponen adelantar el Viernes Negro (Proposal to advance Black Friday) – The business sector proposed advancing Black Friday by a week so that it would fall on el 20/11 instead of the universally accepted date of the last Friday in noviembre which falls on el 27/11 this year The 20th would coincide with the holiday enacted by Pres. Noboa to celebrate the Festival Internacional de Artes Vivas de Loja (FIAVL). Also retailers didn’t want Black Friday to fall on the election weekend during the dry period. <You newbies and tourists might want to take note that no alcohol can be sold during the election weekend, and plan accordingly.>
