The Otavalo Crafts Market
Domesticated llama and alpaca species are raised commercially
Otavalo, Ecuador is a feast of riches for the shopper, crafts as far as the eye can see. The breadth of merchandise and abundance of choices make Otavalo the most renowned indigenous market in all of South America and a must-see on the itineraries of tourists who travel to Ecuador. Situated in the Andean highlands of Ecuador’s Imbabura province about fifty miles northeast of Quito, Otavalo proper is home to about half of the valley’s 50,000 residents. Weaving and the tourism it produces are big business here, employing much of the population in various capacities, at least part time, in the making or selling of camelid fleece products.
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The Otavalo Crafts Market
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The crafts market’s epicenter is the Plaza de los Ponchos in downtown Otavalo. Though the biggest market day is Saturday, any day in Otavalo is a treat for tourists seeking souvenirs of their travel to Ecuador. Sales get going between 8 AM and 9 AM, winding down about 3 PM. Crowds are smallest before mid-morning. Prices for most merchandise are not fixed, allowing shoppers to negotiate with the artisans. Should one tire of the market itself, Otavalo is filled with art galleries, and many private homes contain craft workshops.
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It isn’t just tourists on Ecuador tours who visit the market. Importers also come here to buy items for resale in their countries. This bustling market town is an economic powerhouse that exports its crafts worldwide. The Otavalo market is best known for its Andean knits, selling unique sweaters, scarves and mittens as well as tapestries with a multitude of designs including Inca themes, depictions of village life, geometric patterns, flora and fauna, and carpets to match the color scheme of any room.
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Nor is Otavalo just about weaving. Visitors will also find wood and stone carvings, puppets and dolls for the kids, Andean musical instruments, colorful pottery decorated with a variety of patterns and Andean scenes, paintings, large and small, and jewelry for all occasions. Visitors on Ecuador tours will also enjoy the fare of many street vendors selling a yummy array of Ecuadorian snack foods to sustain shopping stamina. The streets of Otavalo are filled with folk music played on Andean instruments.
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For photographers who travel to Ecuador, Otavalo offers an endless array of colorful subjects beyond the crafts market. On the northwest edge of town, a livestock market is held on Saturday, starting at a time most of us would consider the middle of the night and ending when we are just waking up. Livestock sales wrap up by mid-morning.
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Passengers wishing to visit the Otavalo crafts market on one of our Ecuador tours have a choice of the nine-day Ecuador Highlights trip or the eleven-day Galapagos Islands and Haciendas trip as well as four tour extensions: a one or two-day Otavalo Market trip, a day-trip that spends time at the market and also kayaks on nearby crater Lake Cuicocha and a four-day Haciendas, Hot Springs and Volcanoes trip.
