On Saturday, I went to the world-famous Otavalo market. Well, it isn't quite globally reknown-- yet-- but it certainly deserves to be. Otavaleños are an Indigenous people, considered excellent at craft and commerce. Many of the indigenous merchants who migrated to Europe are originally from Otavalo. There is an animal market in the morning-- in case you wanted to surprise your relatives with a souvenir cow from Ecuador-- but it begins at 5 AM. I therefore decided to focus on the artisan market, which runs the whole day. The stalls stretch out through about a dozen streets, appearing endless. It was an incredible feast for the eyes: stalls crammed with bright scarves, alpaca sweaters swinging from carts and people, people, people everywhere.
The necklace she is wearing is the emblem of local women-- nearly all Otavaleñas wear one.
Just a few souvenirs for some lucky friends back home...
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