Otavlo

So I just got back from Otavalo, home of the largest market in South America.  Our guide, Cesar, belongs to the group of people indigenous to the region.  Needless to say, he gave a fantastic tour and knew so much about the region.  Every mountain, stream, and lake has a name given to it by the original inhabitants, the Incas, then the Spanish.  All of the original names have to do with gender roles and such so it was pretty interesting to find out what they all meant. 
Going to Otavalo is almost like jumping into a TV show.  The men wear a hat depending on what group of people they are from, and almost all of them have a long braid of black hair as well.  The hats are some kind of combo between a Bowler hat and a Cowboy hat.  I really wanted to buy one except 1) I am a terrible shopper, and 2) They made me look like some kind of want-to-be Italian gangster.
The women mostly wore elaborate blouses and a skirt.  Again, the style of the blouse depends on what group they belong to.  Even the little girls look like old women because of their ornamental clothing.
Lastly, haggling was necessary.  It's kind of a mix between having conversation and reducing the price.  A lot of the salesman were fun to talk to, but everything was "hecho a mano" (made by hand) or "de alpaca y algodon" (made of Alpaca fur and cotton).  In reality, our guide told us, most of these products are made on an electronic loom and are synthetic materials (one of the perks of having an indigenous guide whose family hand makes tapestries, hats, and bags).  Some buyers would get excited to argue down a few bucks, but the prices are set so high it's tough to know what it's really worth.  Even with all this, it was an awesome time and we got to experience tons of Quichua culture.


PS-The market was only about 1/4 of our time in Otavalo.  The city and region also has amazing ecosystems, musicians, and a beautiful waterfall. Though, I have heard enough panflute to last me another 20 years.