Explore published stories from Ambato, Tungurahua, Equador and nearby.
Arrested in Ecuador in 1980, Pedro Alonso López claimed hundreds of killings of children across three countries. That number became a headline, yet a study of prison records identifies four convictions for named victims, combined into a 16-year sentence. This dossier follows the victims, records and gaps obscured by the criminal’s notoriety.
812 km · Armero
In November 1985, a lahar from Nevado del Ruiz destroyed Armero. Omayra Sánchez remained trapped in debris for nearly three days. This dossier examines the known hazard, rescue attempts, the pump debate, the photograph, and the disaster’s legacy while separating testimony from medical certainty.
1,539 km · Região de Rio Branco
Circles, squares, ditches and roads built by Indigenous peoples more than two thousand years ago have changed how western Amazonia is understood. LiDAR has revealed hundreds of previously undocumented earthworks; predictions of thousands more remain models, not confirmed finds. This dossier follows Acre’s sites, evidence of forest management and the questions still open.
2,290 km · Chisec
The Maya Q’eqchi’ woman killed in Alta Verapaz in 2018 became known online as “Miss PacMan” because of footage her family asked people not to share. This dossier restores her name and examines prior abuse, the 2023 sentence, and reparations without reproducing the images.