Cuenca news today, written for expats

Ecuador's annual inflation rose 2.6%, and the basic basket of goods in Cuenca now runs $873.14 — well above the national figure. A tariff war with Colombia and slightly pricier fuel are part of the story. Here's what it means if you live here on a fixed or foreign income.

The Universidad de Cuenca has opened its Sala Arqueológica at the Museo Universitario — free entry, more than 4,000 pre-Columbian pieces, and the timing lines up with International Museum Day on May 18. Here's what's there and when to go.

Two protected stretches of the Qhapaq Ñan — the Andean road system that includes the Camino del Inca — still run through Challuabamba on Cuenca's edge. Here's the pre-Columbian history hiding along a route many expats already drive toward Gualaceo.

On Saturday May 16, health brigades go door-to-door across eight Cuenca sectors immunizing children under six against measles and completing the routine vaccination schedule. Here's where, and why it matters even if you don't have kids.

Rafael María Arízaga street, by Plaza Monroy in El Vecino, was once the city's northern gateway. The trades that defined it — seeds, sheet metal, handmade candy — are still there, run by the same families decades later.

The third edition of Cuenca's beekeeping festival sets up on Padre Aguirre, between the Plaza de las Flores and San Francisco, for four days. Expect honey, hive products, and a 'star product' competition.