Cuenca High Life

by Tom McNaughton The second round of the Cuenca Cup was played on October 27th. It was a tough crowd that night. It started with TC Tahoe warming them up with a few card tricks and sleight-of-hand moves that left everyone with jaws hanging. No one knows TC’s real name, but after... [More]

Cuenca’s holiday festivities continued Friday night as a crowd estimated at 25,000 turned out to observe and participate in the annual Day of the Innocents before rains chased most spectators away. The event, highlighted by a parade and performances on Av. Huayna Capac as thousands ... [More]

Guayaquil declared its independence from Spain on October 9, 1820, seizing military control of the city in a nearly bloodless coup. Less than a month later, on November 3, Cuenca won its own independence after a handful of skirmishes between revolutionaries and Spanish soldiers that lasted two day... [More]

Reposted report from 2010 Setenario celebration. The 2011 edition kicks off Thursday, June 23. Check local newspapers for events schedule. “In the U.S., this would be illegal,” John Schnelling told a friend standing next to him Thursday night in Cuenca’s Calderon ... [More]

Cuenca's Easter soup, fanesca, is considered to be the best in Latin America and it is a tradition among Cuencanos to have at least one bowl of it during Holy Week. It will be served in mercado food courts and in many restaurants around the city until Easter Sunday. After that, ... [More]

April 1 isn't April Fools Day in Cuenca. Rather, it's the launch day of several weeks of parades, art shows, concerts, fiestas, and the kind of partying that goes on in a city that's celebrating its founding a mere 454 years ago (in 1557, partly on an existing ... [More]

Two weekly Gringo Nights take place in Cuenca. One is on Fridays at Zóe restaurant on Presidente Borrero between Mariscal Sucre and Presidente Cordova starting at 5 p.m. The other is on Tuesdays at DiBacco restaurant on Tarqui between Bolivar and... [More]

One of the great pleasures that many of Ecuador’s expats discover in their adopted country is art collecting. Even those who were not collectors back home take up the habit, smitten by the quality, variety, and sheer emotional force of the talent in this small Andean country. Anoth... [More]

Although Carnival continues through Tuesday, Sunday was the centerpiece of the five-day festival in most of Ecuador. Celebrations in Cuenca, Paute, Gualaceo, Sigsig and other nearby towns, featured costume parades, native dances and plenty of food. The highlight in every venue, though, seeme... [More]

Coming to Ecuador after living in Mexico for several years was a bit of a culinary shock. "Oh my God, I thought, how am I going to live without chilies?"  Well, there is an Ecuadorian chili, commonly known as "aji" (accent on the "i"). Even what we knew in Mex... [More]

Akelarre (Ah-ka-Lah’-Re): In the Basque region of Spain the name means “meeting of the witches.” In Cuenca, it’s a jewel of a restaurant located in Hotel Inca Real at General Torres 8-40, between Sucre and Simon Bolivar. As you enter the restaurant, just to the left o... [More]

By Penny Ripple Looking for a little elegance with a fabulous meal? Cuatro Rios, which opened in the fall in a beautifully restored colonial at 10-44 Padre Aguirre, half a block from Gran Colombia, is defintely worth checking out. You’ll enter through the main door and go u... [More]

I was surprised to find three seafood restaurants within a block of one another in Cuenca’s Chirimoya neighborhood, a short walk from the historic district. One, La Marisqueria de Pedro, is mentioned in my updated list, "Where the gringos eat and drink..." (see the CuencaHigh... [More]

As far as we know, the only restaurant in Cuenca that requires men to wear a sports coat, and women a dress, is the formal dining room at the Cuenca Tennis Club. If you feel like dressing up for dinner and you’re not a member of the club, the city offers several great fine dining options whe... [More]

Reporting on his visit to Cuenca last year, Times of London travel writer Joshua Wellesey remarked, “I think I can safely claim that this charming little city has more culture per square inch than any place in the Western Hemisphere.” One of Wellesey´s notable Cue... [More]

This little nook of a restaurant packs a giant south-of-the-broder flavor whallop! Tucked away behind the soccer stadium on Calle Peralta, just off Av. Solano and Av. Remigio Crespo, I had passed Pronto Tacos many times and thought “I wonder if their food is any good.” You see, h... [More]

If you love Italian food, be sure to put Mediterraneo at 7-64 Honorato Vasquez, between Luis Cordero and Hostel Cafecito on your “to-do” list. The first thing I noticed were the new restaurant’s wall decoration. Rich Tuscan colors and a rogue’s gallery of famous Ital... [More]

By Aston Morrisey  His hand-made guitars have been played by Freddy Fender, Judy Collins, and Spanish classical musician Pablo Menendez, according to a 25-year-old article in American Musician magazine. Cuenca guitar maker Juan Uyaguari say, however, that he can't vouch for the stor... [More]

Through Tuesday, Oct. 14. Check El Tiempo, El Murcurio and the iTurs office for complete information. Photography exhibition: Peruvian artist Adriko Canales  Date: Until Oct. 17 Place: Paul Cézanne Gallery, Alliance Française Hours: 7:30 pm Sponsor... [More]

A Cuenca language school is looking for two or three English teachers for the start of new classes next week. The school, located in the historic district, has both English and Spanish students, and uses an approach incorporating substantive subjects into language training in advanced classes. ... [More]

This is our first shot at a list of Cuenca restaurants and bars popular with foreigners. Consider it an invitation or a forewarning, depending on your tastes. When I say foreigners, this includes not only local expats but the hundreds of foreign students, teachers, volunteers and tourists in ... [More]

When I first arrived in Cuenca, I was surprised to find that the locals did not take advantage of the prime real estate along the banks of the Tomebamba River. I was thinking, of course, ‘what a great place for a restaurant!’  I have to report, though, that the local na... [More]