El Centro projects would reduce vehicular traffic; City street cleaners strike for lack of pay; Overhead cable rules considered; Exhibit of city’s changing barrios
Bored? –
(De El Mercurio del viernes, 10/7) Al Jardín Botánico se acopla como museo (The Botanical Garden serves as a museum) – The show, “Cuando el río suena, piedras trae” (When the river sounds, it brings stones?) is at the Jardín Botánico until el 4/8. The works are by students in Installation Art at the U. of Cuenca and are made of materials found in the environment. Hours are from lunes to domingo from 7:00-18:30.
(De El Mercurio del sábado, 11/7) “Se quema del barrio” en MMAM (“The neighborhood burns” at MMAM) – The show, “Se quema del barrio” by artist Jonnathan Mosquera, opened at the Museo Municipal de Arte Moderno and will run until el 30/8. The exhibit is a look at the social and cultural transformations in Cuenca, the changes in the barrios and their social dynamics through a contemporary interpretation of the urban environment.
Cuenca’s street cleaners, known as las hormiguitas chúa, or little ants, have gone on street because they have not been paid by the contractor. (El Mercurio)
Curious? –
(De El Mercurio del viernes, 10/7) Se abren puertas de capilla en aeropuerto (Chapel doors open at airport) – On el jueves, 9/7, a chapel at the Mariscal La Mar airport in Cuenca opened. The chapel is on the 2nd floor of the airport with hours 7 days a week from 5:00-22:00. A parish priest has been designated and masses will be celebrated on special dates such as Christmas, New Year’s Eve, and Mother’s Day.
(De El Mercurio del viernes, 10/7) Nueva ‘herramienta’ para bajar precio de gasolinas (New ‘tool’ to lower gas prices) – The Government modified the formula to calculate internal prices for fuel so that the lower international prices can be reflected more rapidly and so significant and accumulated price increases won’t affect users as much. According to the Cámara Nacional de Distribuidores de Derivados de Petróleo del Ecuador (Camddepe), the reduction in prices will be $.05 on Extra, Ecopaís, and diesel. Since marzo 2026, because of the war between Iran and the US, gas prices rose from $2.67 to $3.31 for gasoline and from $2.70 to $3.26 for diesel. Without the change in the formula, gas prices would have risen again on el 12/7. That change would have been the maximum (5% or $0.16) which would have applied until el 11 de agosto.
(De El Mercurio del sábado, 11/7) Cuatro proyectos para movilidad (Four mobility projects) – Between julio and agosto, the City of Cuenca foresees receiving the first results of 4 consulting contracts to develop the “Centro Histórico Bajo en Emisiones” (Low-Emissions Centro Histórico) project. The studies envisage the design of 20 km. of new bike paths, the gradual installation of 30 public bicycle stations, development of the entire streets project or superblocks, and electrification of urban transport lines by incorporating electric buses. Alfredo Aguilar, coordinator of Movilidad del Municipio, said that the contracts were signed last fall and the study farthest ahead is the one to convert some streets to pedestrian and bicycle only status, expected to be ready in noviembre. Regarding the electric buses, the study will determine the routes and where the charging stations will go.
(De El Mercurio del domingo, 12/7) La ANT modifica la entrega de licencias (ANT revises the licensing process) – The Agencia Nacional de Tránsito (ANT) will implement a pilot program from el 20/7 to el 30/9 for issuing driver’s licenses. Service will be organized according to the last digit of your cédula: Nos. 1 & 2 on lunes, 3 & 4 on martes, 5 & 6 on miércoles, 7 & 8 on jueves, and 9 & 0 on viernes. Go to www.ant.gob.ec, pick the agency which will process the paperwork, generate a payment order and pay that amount at an authorized financial institution. Once that’s done, just show up at the agency with which you have business on the day corresponding to the last digit of your cédula.
(De El Mercurio del lunes, 13/7) Trabajadores de la EMAC anuncia paro (EMAC workers announce strike) – A group of workers, also known as ‘hormiguitas chúa,’ or little ants, who have a contract to clean the streets and other public areas with the Empresa de Aseo de Cuenca (EMAC) announced a strike starting el 13/7. They resolved to stop activities, including a hunger strike, because of a repeated failure of a city contractor to pay wages and the degrading precariousness of employment. They are asking to be incorporated directly with city’s EMAC office instead of working for contractors. They reported that the office of the contractor who should pay them is closed, and they remain unpaid. some of them for more than two months.
(De El Mercurio del martes, 14/7) Norma para ordenar el cableado aéreo (Standard for organizing overhead wiring) – El lunes, 13/7, the Empresa Eléctrica Regional Centro Sur presented a proposal for an ordinance to regulate overhead cable installation and establish rules for using the public space. The project creates a municipal permit to install networks on posts, incorporates a public airspace management plan, obligates the removal of unused cables, and establishes timeframes to regularize existing infrastructure.
The technical and legal requirements include:
◆ Obligatory municipal permits – Issued for 3 years to occupy public air space and will be renewable. A georeferenced map must be submitted.
◆ Land use plan – Creation of a municipal land use plan. Classification of the area into Special Protection Zones (Historic), Restricted, Conditional, and Ordinary Zones.
◆ Management of infrastructure and waste – Obligation to remove obsolete, unused or abandoned cables at the service providers’ cost. Creation of a municipal register of networks.
Responsibility: This applies to service providers (internet, TV, phone), owners of the posts, security agencies, and contractors.
Key prohibitions: Using trees, monuments, sculptures, or historical elements to support cables wires will be prohibited.
Compliance schedule:
◆ 30 days – Issue technical and administrative guidelines.
◆ 90 days – Develop the first Municipal Land-Use Plan.
◆ 180 days – Service providers to regularize their existing infrastructure.
◆ 1 year – Deadline for removing unused cable in the Centro Histórico.
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Information in this column, including dates, times and locations, is courtesy of the El Mercurio newspaper. Comments between the carrots, or guillemets (< … >), are the personal opinions of the author and not part of the news translation.
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7/15/2026 4:36:14 AM