Huancayo's Indigenous Marketplace

I have been to many markets, throughout Southget there early enough in the morning (and there will be
America, and Central America, and Santiago has a finemany shoeshine boys in the Plaza de Arms, be careful
one, as does Cuzco, and Rio, as does cities inaround them; it might be safer to get your shoeshine at
Paraguay, and Bolivia, even Caracas-and I suppose Ithe corner where there are park shoeshine adults).
could mention even more, but Huancayo, Peru, anThe main street in front of the plaza is an old Inca
Indian city in the Andes, cuddled within a valley, called:Road. And the building across from the plaza is where
The Mantaro Valley, has the finest Market of themJuan Parra del Riego, was born, a great Peruvian Poet,
all--I believe the finest and longest I've ever seen,who was friends with Cesar Vallejo.
perhaps six to eight blocks long. I can never see theBut back to the marketplace: you will find shoes and
end of it, when I stand at the front of it.shoemakers, and hats, wide brim, every kind,
It is on one of the main streets, and the skies arehandsome, dark and light features, and many Indian
always blue and warm--pert-near year round, on thesefashioned rugs and blankets. In Huancayo, many of the
Sunday mornings, with its mass of flocking people towomen, they still wear the traditional cloths of their
the endless cobblestone street, and the colors in theancestors, very colorful. Much silver and jewelry is sold
marketplace- are molten together from every color ofthere also.
the rainbow and then some.You will see the women in these canvas sheltered
There are two sides to the Marketplace, and twostalls, with babies (breast feeding them, as they knit
narrow paths, one for each side, the inhabitantsand take care of customers).
(Indians) and Cholos are selling and buying everythingIt becomes near impossible to choose what you want,
that is movable, and as you walk down those narrowthere is so much. In that the process takes a while to:
paths-you become enmeshed with the people toexamine, consider, bargain, and then finalize the sale,
where you cannot even see two feet in front of you.you become exhausted. Everything homespun,
I remember while in Beijing, China, at the Silk Market, ithomemade, hand carved.
was about two-blocks long, and you could not seeI have been there several times and end up bargaining
two feet in front of you, and I thought that was aall morning long, and some things are what you might
crowd, but Huancayo has that beaten: here you willconsider extremely cheap. But a native from
see skirts and blouses, all homespun in all colors, fromHuancayo expects you to bargain, it is part of their
midnight blues to wine-red colors. There is so much totradition (seemingly in their blood)-or so it would appear,
see you have to take the whole morning and half theas they are very talkative people in general. It is really
afternoon to walk down and up those two paths.hard to get out of the market by noon, helplessly
The shapes and colors are so stirring-from end todragging yourself to a few more stalls, because you
end-you will have to rest a few times, especially if youthink you might miss something. You will see a few
are an elder person, and get a bite to eat. They havedrunks lurching about, and beggars, but nothing
loads of food, from small pigeon like eggs, to cowextraordinary.
hearts, and even chicken and coke. Then once startingThey prefer their sole coins and paper money for
up again you run into the terracotta jars and bowls,currency, but have adjusted to the dollar, and may
vases and dishes, and the brass items: such as bulls,take them. You will see much gossiping, bargaining, a
and horses, and all at a reasonable cost, perhaps 20%little quarreling, many colors, the sun, lots of noise, and a
of its retail value, that you'd pay in the United States.lazy day it will seem-with a lasting memory of one of
And often on Sundays, you may find a processionthe greatest shows on earth-The Huancayo Market of
going on at the main square by the cathedral, if youPeru.