Cuenca celebrates ‘Migrants Month’ with international food fair on Saturday

According to city government, there are 70 nationalities represented among Cuenca’s migrant population. The largest numbers are from Colombia, Peru, the U.S., Venezuela, Chile, Mexico, Italy, Cuba, Argentina, Paraguay, Canada and the UK.

Representatives from several nationalities meet to plan Saturday’s food fair.

The government says there are about 5,000 migrants from the U.S. and Canada in Cuenca.

On Saturday, the city is sponsoring a “Meeting of Cultures” international food fair in Santo Domingo Plaza from 9 a.m until 3 p.m. The fair is part of the month-long observance of the International Month of the Migrant.

At the food fair, groups from several countries will prepare and sell their typical cuisine.

Although the majority of foreigners living in Cuenca are here voluntarily, as many as 5,000 Colombians are here as refugees from the civil war in their country. About 3,000 are registered as refugees but officials believe many more are unregistered.