Otavalo, Ecuador - Oct 14-16, 2001

Parade of people in costumes and traditional indigenous dress

Otavalo, Ecuador 


As soon as we arrived in Otavalo, we were greeted by a parade!  I'm not exactly sure what is was for, but it was cool to see the costumes and traditional dress of the people as they walked through the street. 


After our visit to the indigenous clinic in Otavalo, we decided to stay for the weekend and do some sightseeing and shopping at the world-famous market. The people of Otavalo are known for their weaving and knits, most of which are made from alpaca.  The market fills a huge space in the center of town, and on Saturdays, even the streets leading to and from it are filled with vendors.  


The market has tons of food, including produce, grains, bread, spices and vendors selling prepared food and drinks.  

One of many whole roasted pigs at the market and a lady making "tortillas, " which here means a fried potato cake.  Yumm!

Bread!

Spices!

Grains and beans!

Fruits!

Veggies!

The crafts in the market are the other main attraction, and where we spent most of our money.  I hope I have room in my suitcase for all of the souvenirs! 

Sue checking out the hand-crafted guitars

Tons of sweaters

An Otavalan woman in her traditional dress with the knit hats she makes

Another indigenous woman with her knit hats.  That's SpongeBob on the left!

After a long day of shopping, we decided to try some of the local fare.  This is a traditional plate that consisted of fritada (small pieces of fried pork), mote (hominy made from choclo, the special type of corn that grows here) and at the back of the plate, tostada (crunchy toasted and lightly seasoned corn) with a salad and a potato.

Fritada con mote y tostada