Indigenous Market in Saquisili, Ecuador

Women waiting in line to buy Puntas liquor at the indigenous market in Saquisili, Ecuador

The Saquisili market is located an hour south of Quito, Ecuador by bus.  A bus ticket will cost you about $1.50 but make sure it’s a Thursday when you go.  There isn’t anything else to see in Saquisili except for this market and it only operates on Thursday.  It’s without a doubt the largest, most authentic market in Ecuador. The Otavalo Market, north of Quito by an hour, is the market that’s a tourists trap to sucker money out of middle-aged, Western, two week vacationers but the Saquisili Market is for the local people.

If you want to know where the locals shop in Ecuador this is the place.  Indigenous people come here from the mountains for this one day to bring excess goods to sell for a merger profit or to trade with.  Things will be 1/2 the price you find in the markets in Quito.  For a pound of strawberries in Quito it will run you about $2-$2.50 at the cheapest but in Saquisili everything is a dollar.  Six loafs of bread, $1!  10 large ripe tomatoes, $1!  A handful of bananas, $1!  You get the point because for $10 you will have enough fresh produce and fruits to last you two weeks

You can find pretty much anything here, as the market has something for everyone.  Live or dead chickens and pigs literally being walked to the market for slaughter (see picture below).  Cuy (guinea pigs) sold for cooking right next to furry little bunny rabbits being handled like cattle.  Huge quantities of organic food to blocks of 20 lb sugar cubes for less than a few dollars.   They also have the typical stuff you see in all markets: pirated DVDs to watches and cellphones.  If your cellphone got nicked in Quito, odds are you can buy it back on Thursday here!

Don’t forget to try some of the food while there but I doubt that will be a problem as the smells will wear you down after a while.  For a few bucks  you can try about 5 different things and be so full that you’ll need someone to carry you.  I recommend the fried papas (potatoes) and queso (cheese) formed into a patty (see photo below in the middle).  You can get 6 of them for $1.

These little piggies didn't make it back from the indigenous market in Saquisili, Ecuador

Guinea pigs sold for food at indigenous market in Saquisili, Ecuador

Before you leave Ecuador you have to try cuy!  I wouldn’t recommend picking a live one up in the market here but if you go to Banos you will find it on the street everywhere being roasted.  It costs about $15 for a whole one but if you did buy one in the market it’s only $1 (told you everything pretty much is a buck in Saquisili).  You might save $14 but then again killing it, skinning it and having to cook it does not make it such a deal.

Women sitting along the wall taking a break at the indigenous market in Saquisili, Ecuador

Don’t forget to try the national liquor here either.  You’ll find it sold everywhere and if not just say “Por favor Puntas!”  People will know what you want but don’t let them over charge you because of your light skin.  A regular bottle of Coca-Cola filled with Puntas should run you no more than $0.25.  For most people this would last them a week, as it’s very strong stuff.  If you’re wanting to get on a drunken binge then by all means buy a gallon for a $1 but words of caution… it has been known to cause blindness.  It’s more or less along the same lines as American Moonshine.

Puntas liquor in Coca-Cola bottles that cost $0.25 each. Cheapest booze in town!