Otavalo Market on Plaza de Ponchos

Otavalo Market in the central Plaza de Ponchos is packed with traditionally clad indigenous townspeople selling colorful textiles and handicrafts. It is a major draw for tourists in Ecuador. But we found there to be only a dozen or so inspiring booths out of hundreds. The rest looked like they were peddling mass produced factory versions of the handmade goods, and most were duplicates of other booths less than 40 feet away. On a private tour thru the villages surrounding Imbarura Volcano we found authentic, beautiful weaving, embroidery, and wood carving and charming craftsmen and women.