a day at the artisan market

The most famous artisan market in Ecuador, and a must-see for most tourists, is the market in the small town of Otavalo. This town is comprised primarily of indigenous people and I believe is the only town of it's size to have an indigenous mayor. For this reason, the artisan craft market is very important to the town and the money spent there actually goes to the people responsible for providing these goods and helping out with the town. It's great.

We hopped on a few buses and headed north about 2 hours to Otavalo, were dropped on the side of the road and proceeded to follow the many locals schlepping their goods to the market. Though I arrived with four others, we nearly immediately separated and went around the market in smaller, safer groups. I meandered through the market with my housemate, Megan. Stalls after stalls after stalls of goods, mostly the same things over and over. Alpaca sweaters, blankets, gloves, scarves, ponchos. Knit sweaters, ponchos, gloves, hats, scarves, slippers, socks, etc. Bags of all sizes, ranging from carry-on size duffle bags (in all colors) to tiny change purses (the size of a small matchbox). Instruments, gourds, carved figurines, ceramic teapots weaved into baskets (my favorite had a snake as the spout). Chess sets, crucifixes, pipes, jewelry galore. Panama hats, fedoras, leather cowboy/Indiana Jones hats, knit caps. Scarves of all colors, lengths, textures, materials, qualities. Hammocks, guitars, vegetable magnets, serving trays, table cloths, tapestries. Colors everywhere--it was intense. Also in tents. =)

spices, grains, herbs

Another common craft is reprints or artist renditions of the works of the world-famous painter Oswaldo Guayasamín. These are everywhere, and found in many places around Quito as well. This artist has many styles but the most commonly known are those that portray the suffering of Latin America's indigenous poor and their hope for a better future. These prints can be disturbing or deeply moving.

We had a busy day of haggling and shopping, bumping into others we knew along the way, and then losing them again. We even ran into our friend Felim's fellow volunteers when Meg and I sat down to lunch--they'd lost him nearly immediately after reaching the market, and we'd seen him briefly an hour previous. Meg also saw a guy with whom she went to university. Crazy.

Another fun part of this day, other than the extreme color stimulation and shopper's high, was running into some people from Ibarra. Meg and I were approached by a group of four students from an English school in their city, 30 miutes from Otavalo. Apparently, they come down each Saturday (the only day this huge market runs) to practice their English with tourists. We chatted for 15 minutes or so and were invited to visit them and be guided around at any time. They were very sweet.

After a long day of shopping, Meg and I found the bus station, hopped on, chatted for a while and took a nice snooze before we got back to Quito. A good day, overall.

written by

Theresa on November 16, 2008 from Otavalo, Ecuador

from the travel blog: Adventures in Teaching and Living in Ecuador

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