This Weekend in Cuenca: A New Art Exhibition, Street Theater at the Hat Museum, and Freestyle Rap Under the Stars

Three Very Different Ways to Spend Your Weekend

Cuenca's cultural calendar doesn't take rainy season off. Here's what's happening this weekend — from a gallery opening that's already up, to Saturday performances that run the gamut from children's theater to competitive freestyle rap.

Hermes Cordero: "Mouton, la persistencia del fuego"

Where: Galería de la Alcaldía (Presidente Borrero y Simón Bolívar) When: Open now through April Cost: Free

Local artist Hermes Cordero has a new exhibition up at the municipal gallery on the corner of Presidente Borrero and Simón Bolívar — right in the heart of El Centro.

The show, titled "Mouton, la persistencia del fuego" ("Mouton, the Persistence of Fire"), opened earlier this week and runs through April. If you walk past the Alcaldía building regularly, pop in during business hours. The gallery is small enough that you can see the whole thing in 20-30 minutes.

Street Theater at the Hat Museum — Saturday Morning

Two performances back-to-back at the Museo Municipal de la Paja Toquilla y el Sombrero (the hat museum) on Saturday:

Magic Drops Theater

• When: Saturday, March 14 at 10:30 AM
• Where: Museo de la Paja Toquilla (Rafael M. Arízaga y Luis Cordero)
• Cost: Free

An artistic performance — good for kids and families.

Barojo Theatrical Route

• When: Saturday, March 14 at 11:00 AM
• Where: Same venue
• Cost: Free

The Colectivo Artístico Barojo — the same group behind the popular ghost tours at the Museo de las Conceptas — brings a theatrical route through the hat museum. If you've done the ghost tour and enjoyed it, this is the same energy in a different setting.

Tip: The hat museum itself is worth the visit even without the performances. It tells the story of Cuenca's iconic sombrero de paja toquilla (Panama hat) — one of Ecuador's most important cultural exports and a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Freestyle Rap Battles — Saturday Night

• When: Saturday, March 14 at 7:00 PM
• Where: Escalinatas Francisco Sojos (Hermano Miguel y Calle Larga)
• Cost: Free

For something completely different: "Freestyle 8M" — mixed rap battles at the Escalinatas, the wide staircase that connects Calle Larga to the Tomebamba riverfront.

Freestyle rap battles (batallas de freestyle) are huge in Latin America, and Cuenca has a growing scene. Two rappers face off, improvising lyrics over a beat, and a panel of judges (plus the crowd) decides who wins. Even if you don't speak much Spanish, the energy, wordplay, and crowd reactions are entertaining.

The Escalinatas is one of Cuenca's best gathering spots — bring a jacket (it'll be chilly by 7 PM in March) and enjoy the river views while local rappers trade bars.

Also Happening

• Saturday, March 14 at 6:00 PM — Baroque Gala Concert at Esquina de las Artes. $15 general / $10 students. Vivaldi, Bach, Handel in an intimate historic venue. (Read our full writeup)
• Saturday, March 14 at 7:30 PM — Indoorito performance in Nulti parish

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Sources: CuencaHighLife, Ecuraices