Articles

The blue-uniformed officers who handle parking tickets, noise complaints, and street vendor disputes in Cuenca have officially rebranded. The Guardia Ciudadana is now the Cuerpo de Agentes de Control Municipal, with a new logo and a new downtown headquarters. Same people, same job — new sign on the door.

Cuenca's biggest celebration (alongside November 3) is coming up fast. The 469th Foundation Day festival runs April 6 through April 29, with over 100 events including concerts by Andrés Cepeda and Devendra Banhart, parades, food fairs, and more. April 12 is a local holiday. Here's what we know so far.

Ecuador's Health Ministry just extended the national flu vaccination campaign by 60 days. Free flu shots are available at all 1,900 public health centers, public hospitals, and IESS facilities — no appointment needed. Respiratory viruses are circulating above normal levels. Here's what you need to know.

After a subsidence knocked out the Sulupali bridge over the Río Rircay on February 23, seven communities south of Cuenca decided they couldn't wait for the government's $2.1 million estimate. So they're building their own bridge with cement, river rock, and iron salvaged from a 2012 collapse. Cost: $35,000. Raised so far: $962.

Cuenca's Orquesta Sinfónica just kicked off a massive March lineup with Carmina Burana — and the best is still coming. Pink Floyd Sinfónico on March 20, a Dvořák and Mahler concert on March 13, a chamber recital at Pumapungo Museum, and Pergolesi's Stabat Mater inside Santo Domingo Church. Here's the full schedule.

Three violent deaths in Cuenca in under 72 hours — including a woman shot 13 times during her brother's wake in Las Orquídeas and an armed attack in Las Peñas. Police Commander Ángel Esquivel says all the killings are connected to small-scale drug turf disputes. Here's what's happening, where, and what it means for residents.

March 8 is International Women's Day, and Cuenca has a full slate: a health walk tonight, a bike ride at dawn, a women's march through El Centro, a piano recital at the Museum of Modern Art, and iconic buildings lit up in purple. Here's the full rundown.

The tranvía just posted its best day ever: 42,000 riders on December 24. Weekday averages are up to 27,000, the city's annual subsidy has dropped to $1.5 million, and the Monay overpass is 24% complete. Here's where things stand with Cuenca's love-it-or-hate-it tram.

Over 21,000 people have been affected by flooding across 24 provinces since the rainy season kicked off January 1. But there's an upside expats will appreciate: the reservoirs feeding Ecuador's hydroelectric plants are filling fast, making a repeat of 2024's devastating blackouts increasingly unlikely.