Indigenous Markets
in Ecuador
 Ecuador
is well known for its fascinating indigenous markets. Today these
markets are interesting not only for tourists, but still an important
part of daily life for countless Ecuadorians. Visit one of these
markets and you will find native paintings, jewelry, textiles,
ceramics, leather, plus much more. Additionally you can witness
vendors selling or trading vegetables, fruit, and animals. It
is possible to travel around Ecuador and have the chance to visit
a market almost every day throughout the Andean Highlands.
Please note
that additional info (prices, activities, etc) are found to the
right of this pages. 
Some Important Market Days:
Note: In the larger cities in
Ecuador you can purchase a wide range of products. However, if
you really want to experience the country and all it has to offer,
we recommend that you get out to some of its markets.
Sunday: Otavalao, Park El Ejido and Santo Domingo
de los Colorados
Tuesday: Otavalo and Latacunga
Wednesday: Otavalao and Pujili
Thursday: Otavalo and Saquisili
Saturday: Otavalo, Zumbahua, Park El Ejido and Latacunga
Market Overviews:
Otavalo (located 2 hrs north of Quito):
One of the most well known markets in Ecuador. Here you
will find textiles, masks, carvings, animals, plus an abundance
of other items. Saturday is the most important market day in Otavalo,
however every other day there are also things going on as well.
Cotacachi (located a half hour from Otavalo):
Any stop by Otavalo should be followed up with a quick visit to
Cotacachi. This town is famous for quality leather works. You
can find just about anything relating to leather made in this
town. The quality is great and the prices are good.
Saquisalí (located 2 hrs south
of Quito): This is one of the more interesting markets
in Ecuador. The day to hit this market is on Thursdays when all
of the Indians from the surrounding mountain towns come to the
market. In the mornings the main activity is at the animal market.
However during the entire day a wide variety of products are sold.
This market generally has less tourists than Otavalo.
Pujili (located 2 hours from Quito):
If you are looking for a more traditional style of market then
you should visit Pujili on the Sunday market day. Few tourists
and most products are geared towards the locals.
Zumbahua (located 4 hours from Quito):
Another great market for people who want to experience
a traditional Indian market. The day to visit is on Saturdays.
Part of the experience relates to watching the women load up their
llamas to transport their goods.
Salasaca (just outside of Ambato): This
market operates every day. However Sunday is the main day for
the market. What makes this place interesting is that the Salasaca
Indians are not originally from Ecuador. The Incas moved them
from Bolivia. As such, you will notice that the design of the
textiles is different from what is found at other markets. The
quality of textile products in known to be very high.
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