CHINCHERO SUNDAY MARKET, Sacred Valley, Peru

In the morning, we took a collective van from Cusco to the village of Chinchero (3,782m).  We went specifically for its renowned Sunday Market.  Despite touristy, the Chinchero Sunday Market is also famous for its community market where locals from villages around the area come to shop and barter.  We entered the market through a white-wash archway.  Immediately we arrived at a long aisle of vendors selling souvenirs and artisan textiles.  We wandered in the tourist section of the market for a while, then walked over to the semi-covered section of the market where locals gathered for grocery and other daily merchandises.

After exploring the Chinchero Market, we encountered a group of election campaigners dressed in traditional clothing and masks parading right outside the market.  It was only days before regional election would take place for all districts in Peru. Before Chinchero, we had bumped into election campaigns at many other villages, towns and cities throughout our trip.

On the upper part of Chinchero behind the market, we found ourselves visiting a weaving cooperative organized by the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco.  Dozens of local women displayed their textile works for sale.  We lingered in the centre for a while.  At the end, we came out with a piece of handmade textile as souvenir.  Although we found the small cobble stone streets interesting, we didn’t stay long at the old quarter of Chinchero before heading back down to the market square for our return journey.  On our way down, we saw half a dozen of local women dressed in traditional costumes watching the election campaign parade.  Loud music and chatting continued to fill the streets of Chinchero as we found our way back to the spot where we hopped on the van for Cusco.

The archway marks the entrance of the Chinchero Sunday Market.

A woman wearing traditional dress and a red felt hat, montera.

In the Chinchero Sunday market, we saw many women wearing red sweater and red-felt flat hat. The crimson of the their clothing was really eye-catching, and so as their pleasant smiles.

Hat is an important in the Andean culture. Peruvian women wear hat of different styles and decorations, representing their tribes and heritage.

Vendors selling all kinds of tourist souvenirs, including chess and flutes.

At the touristy half of the market, there were many textile vendors displaying their colour fabrics.

The other half of the market, semi-covered with thatch canopies, served as a community market.

[Left] Gourd carving is a traditional Peruvian art with artisans using gourds to tell stories, both personal and communal. [Right] An artisan proudly presenting his handmade jewellery.

A girl, holding fresh flower in hands, was taking a nap against a mount of colorful yarns.

Walking through the aisle between rows of semi covered stalls in the Sunday Market and watching the locals barter and shopped for grocery was an interesting experience.

The semi-covered section of the Sunday market was like a grocery market where locals could find a variety of fruits and vegetable.

Children were everywhere in the market, helping out the mothers at vendor stalls or grocery shopping.

The loud speaker from the election campaign parade caught people’s attention.

We stepped aside as the election campaigners with masks marching on the street.

From the market, we found our way to the old quarter of Chinchero.

A weaving cooperative organized by the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco.

The stepped lane with a drainage channel in the middle near the weaving cooperative.

View of the campaign parade from the upper part of Chinchero.

Local women watching the parade from a distance.