Cuenca Ecuador Climate

Cuenca, Ecuador is a UNESCO World Heritage Site . A city known for the four rivers that run through it, and for its laid-back, historical charm. The city has also become a peculiar example of the challenges and injustices surrounding the immigration debate both in Ecuador and abroad. The province of Azuay, which includes Cuenca, has the longest history of immigration of any region in Ecuador. The city has seen its population demographics change significantly in the past 10 years, with Ecuadoreans moving out, and American and European retirees moving in.

When Miguel was 14, his mother left him in the care of his 19 year-old sister and traveled to the United States. But it wasn’t for vacation. Miguel’s father had left the family soon after Miguel was born, and Miguel’s mother’s job as a waitress was not paying the bills. Miguel’s mother from Ecuador through Mexico, crossing the border in a truck where people were stacked like bricks. She made her way north to Chicago, where she found work at the Kraft factory. For 10 years, she sent money back to Ecuador, but was not able to return for a visit due to her illegal status in the United States. The money that came from Chicago enabled Miguel and his sister to pursue a private university education, something that would have been out of their reach had their mother stayed in Cuenca. When she came back, she hardly knew her then adult son.

This is not an unusual story in Ecuador’s third largest city. Alexandra, who lives in a community outside of Cuenca, is married and raising three children. She and her husband own a restaurant and a small store, but to get by Alexandra relies on financial assistance from her father, who is working in the United States, and from her mother, who is working in Italy.