Maduro Is Quietly Rebuilding the State TV Propaganda Apparatus
Behind the end of DirecTV in Venezuela, there’s a 21st century dictatorship desperate to recover a lost channel to spread its message
Notes From The Venezuelan Black Friday Battlefront
Cash dollars made possible an illusion of recovery in the capital of the world’s worst-performing economy. Here’s how things looked in the Sambil mall
Celebrity Deathmatch, Venezuelan Style
Four young engineers decided to put 350 of the most popular people of modern Venezuela to fight the only way Venezuelans like their fights these days: on Twitter.
Airport, Unplugged
I was supposed to go back to Ecuador. But instead of going to the airport and saying goodbye—for now—to Venezuela, I ended up in the midst of the consequences of the second national blackout in 17 days.
Getting Water at the River of Hell
Once a pleasant, clear-water creek, in our times the Guaire is no more than Caracas’ open air sewer. Amid power cuts that took down the water pumping stations that feed Caracas, the people from the slums of San Agustin had to climb down to its embankment to collect water of unknown origin and very dubious safety.
Ecuador’s Night of Fear
Burned mattresses, kicked-in doors, shattered glass. After Diana Martínez was murdered in front of the Ecuadorian police by her Venezuelan boyfriend, angry mobs threatened, chased, and kicked Venezuelans, and destroyed their belongings. President Lenín Moreno’s unconscionable reaction added fuel to the fire.
The Untold Story of Jesús Soto’s Iconic Caracas Sphere
Jesús Soto died 14 years ago today. His endlessly photographed Esfera de Caracas spent years in storage. How did it end up in its glorious location, right by the Parque del Este?
An Hallaca Christmas Dinner at the Middle of the World
The shelter of the Middle of The World, in Ecuador hosts a Christmas dinner for Venezuelan walkers in need. We get a first-hand view, and a taste of its hallacas.
Guayaquil Blues
Ecuador has received a large share of Venezuela's third wave immigrants — a mass influx of poorer, less well educated Venezuelans. Many have found jobs, but 87% get paid less-than-minimum wage. Not surprisingly, we're not always welcome here.
When Hunger Knocks on Your Door
Elsa has worked the last 53 years of her life and she can’t retire with dignity because her salary as a university professor, her pension, and what her children bring in is not enough.
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