Otavalo Market
Plaza de los Ponchos, Otavalo
One of South America's best-known Indigenous handicraft markets. On Saturdays the whole town turns into a bazaar of shawls, tapestries, hats, and silver jewellery.
Otavalo lies about 2 hours north of Quito. The local Kichwa-speaking Otavalo people are known for weaving and trade. A market runs every day, centred on the Plaza de los Ponchos. It is at its largest on Saturdays, when stalls spill out into the surrounding streets. They sell alpaca-wool shawls, tapestries, embroidered shirts, Panama hats, silver jewellery, and musical instruments, and bargaining is expected. On Saturday mornings there is also a lively livestock market just outside town. Otavalo is often combined with the nearby Cuicocha crater lake and the leather town of Cotacachi in a day trip.
Opening hours
Daily approx. 07:00–18:00; busiest on Saturdays
Nearby sights
- Laguna de Cuicocha
- Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve
- Intiñan Solar Museum
- Ciudad Mitad del Mundo
- Parque Metropolitano Guangüiltagua
- Capilla del Hombre (Guayasamín Museum)
- La Carolina Park & Quito Botanical Garden
- Guápulo