Otavalo Market: Indigena Central

The highland Ecuadorian town of Otavalo would be by all respects a pretty typical, indigenous town if it weren’t for the presence of its now world-famous market.

Justly famous for its friendly people, Otavalo swells to indigena central every Saturday, when villagers from the surrounding countryside come to sell handmade goods, livestock, fruits and vegetables, and pretty much anything else you could need or imagine. [Note: I forgot to mention when I originally posted this that Otavalo is the largest market in all South America! - Author ]The market dates back to pre-Inca times when jungle products were transported from the eastern lowlands and traded for highland goods. Today’s market has two different functions: the local market for buying and selling animals, food and other essentials, and the crafts market for the tourists and other interested people.

There are three main market plazas in town, with the overflow spilling out onto the streets linking them. The Plaza de Ponchos is devoted to handicraft items, especially colourful woollen goods such as ponchos, gloves, hats, blankets, scarves and sweaters, as well as fine tapestries and a variety of embroidered blouses and shirts, shawls, string bags, and rope sandals. The market gets underway at dawn, continuing until early afternoon. Bargaining is, naturally, expected, but is usually good-natured (unlike many parts of the world!)

The fun food market sells produce and household goods for locals, and there is an animal market beginning in the predawn hours on the outskirts of town. Although these are not designed for visitors, they are cultural experiences to see and are definitely worth a visit.

Otavalo is a proudly independent and well-ordered town, and the Otavaleños’ cultural integrity is evident in their traditional dress—decidedly not put on for the tourists.

I wish I had good pictures of my own of the market, but to be honest we were too busy shopping! I’m almost embarrassed to admit that we had to shop for more bags just to carry the mountain of alpaca we bought. (Hint: old rice sacks work well, and are cheaply bought in the dry goods section of the food market.)

Note that although Saturday is the biggest day, especially for the more local markets, pretty much any day is good–there is no shortage of alpaca scarves!

GPS location can be found on Planet Eye’s map here.

Images thanks to Wikipedia, under the GNU Free Documentation License.