Cuenca High Life

19/09/2025

By Graham Finlayson Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are increasingly portrayed as the chief culprit in modern nutrition debates. They are linked to conditions ranging from dementia to obesity and what some describe as an epidemic of “food addiction.” These industrially produced items—such as chips, ready meals, fizzy drinks, and packaged snacks—are frequently blamed for today’s widespread health challenges. Critics argue that they are “specifically formulated and aggressively marketed to maximize consumption and corporate profits,” exploiting the brain’s reward systems to push us to eat more than we need....

By Graham Finlayson Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are increasingly portrayed as the chief culprit in modern nutrition debates. They are linked to conditions ranging from dementia to obesity and what some […]

19/09/2025

The Confederation of Indigenous Peoples and Nationalities (Conaie) and its regional partners announced Thursday it was launching an "immediate and indefinite" national strike. Meeting in a joint session in Riobamba, Conaie, Ecuarunari, Confenaie and Conaie said it was beginning an “uprising throughout the country." According to Conaie President Marlon Vargas, the strike was called as a result of the elimination of the diesel fuel subsidy, the crisis in health and education and the government’s policy encouraging mining and oil production....

18/09/2025

The significance of Tuesday’s massive turnout for Cuenca's “Great March for Water” could extend far beyond shutting down the Loma Larga gold mine. “This will have an impact far beyond Cuenca and could change the political landscape of the country,” Azuay Province Prefect Juan Cristóbal Lloret said Wednesday. “Groups opposed to government policies are paying close attention to what is happening in Cuenca.”...

The significance of Tuesday’s massive turnout for Cuenca’s “Great March for Water” could extend far beyond shutting down the Loma Larga gold mine. “This will have an impact far beyond […]

18/09/2025

By Ann Babe Increasingly over the past decade, Westerners have flocked to the Amazon for a taste of the region’s most notorious elixir: ayahuasca. In the jungle, the plant mixture is the “vine of the soul” or the “vine of the dead,” depending on who you ask. In the United States, it’s a Schedule 1 drug. It’s been popularized as mind-blowing, life-altering, universe-opening — an experience that has no comparison....

By Ann Babe Increasingly over the past decade, Westerners have flocked to the Amazon for a taste of the region’s most notorious elixir: ayahuasca. In the jungle, the plant mixture […]

18/09/2025

The government of President Daniel Noboa has terminated a migration statute that had made it easier for Venezuelan citizens in Ecuador to obtain visas and residency, closing a bilateral agreement that had been in place for 15 years. The government cited "suspensions and cuts" in funding for the programs that allowed Ecuador to provide migration benefits. It also pointed to security concerns and the need to strengthen border controls....

The government of President Daniel Noboa has terminated a migration statute that had made it easier for Venezuelan citizens in Ecuador to obtain visas and residency, closing a bilateral agreement […]

17/09/2025

Ecuadorians have long enjoyed a curious reputation on the internet. Not for their cuisine, not for their volcanoes, not even for their footballers. No, the claim that keeps resurfacing is that Ecuadorian men are the most generously endowed in the world. Charts circulate online, statistics are quoted, and somewhere out there is always a gr**go who claims to have “read the study.”...

Ecuadorians have long enjoyed a curious reputation on the internet. Not for their cuisine, not for their volcanoes, not even for their footballers. No, the claim that keeps resurfacing is […]

17/09/2025

By Jennifer Hansler The Trump administration said Monday that Colombia had “failed demonstrably” in its obligations to fight drug trafficking but the US will continue to provide funding to the country. Although the decision to “decertify” Colombia but continue assistance avoids what experts said was the worst-case scenario of cutting off millions in funding, it is still a significant symbolic move....

By Jennifer Hansler The Trump administration said Monday that Colombia had “failed demonstrably” in its obligations to fight drug trafficking but the US will continue to provide funding to the […]

17/09/2025

A week ago, the organizers of the protest march against the Loma Larga gold mine estimated the event would attract 20,000. On Sunday, they revised the number to 30,000 or 40,000. They were wrong on both counts. Based on drone images, television station Telerama estimated the turnout for Tuesday's "Great March for Water" to be 100,000. Another count by Radio Quito, put the turnout at 120,000....

A week ago, the organizers of the protest march against the Loma Larga gold mine estimated the event would attract 20,000. On Sunday, they revised the number to 30,000 or […]

16/09/2025

President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency in seven provinces Tuesday following highway blockages by truckers protesting the increase in the price of diesel fuel. Azuay Province, which experienced two roadblocks on Monday, was included in the 60-day emergency order. The other provinces in emergency status are Carchi, Imbabura, Pichincha, Bolívar, Cotopaxi and Santo Domingo, all of which were affected by trucker roadblocks on Monday....

President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency in seven provinces Tuesday following highway blockages by truckers protesting the increase in the price of diesel fuel. Azuay Province, which experienced […]

16/09/2025

By Rochelle Beighton Chances are, if you’re planning to hike the Andes in Peru, your journey will take you to Huaraz. The capital of the Ancash region in northern Peru, Huaraz is known as the gateway to the Cordillera Blanca mountain range and is often dubbed the “Switzerland of Peru.” This high-altitude city has become the go-to base for trekkers heading into Huascarán National Park to attempt some of this UNESCO World Heritage site’s 50 recognized trails....

By Rochelle Beighton Chances are, if you’re planning to hike the Andes in Peru, your journey will take you to Huaraz. The capital of the Ancash region in northern Peru, […]

16/09/2025

Transit police and the Cuenca Citizen Guard are advising motorists to avoid the historic district Tuesday due to the "march for water." The march begins at 9 a.m. but marchers will begin gathering at San Roque Plaza on Av. Loja and at several other locations -- including the San Alfonso church at Simon Bolivar and Borrero -- in the historic district as early as 7:30 a.m....

Transit police and the Cuenca Citizen Guard are advising motorists to avoid the historic district Tuesday due to the “march for water.” The march begins at 9 a.m. but marchers […]

16/09/2025

Bored? "Carteles para la Cultura" en Museo Universitario - The exhibit, "Carteles para la Cultura" (Posters for Culture) by designer Pablo Iturralde opened at the Museo Universitario of the U. of Cuenca. The designer collected an anthology of posters created since 1995 for film, dance, music, theater, activism and social protest which have become part of the visual patrimony of the collective memory....

Bored? “Carteles para la Cultura” en Museo Universitario – The exhibit, “Carteles para la Cultura” (Posters for Culture) by designer Pablo Iturralde opened at the Museo Universitario of the U. […]