A place very visited by tourists and locals is thePlaza de los ponchos Otavalo, located inQuito. It is a city that keeps a great essence of what it meansEcuadorian culture. It is worth mentioning that the culture ofI otavaloIt has its own customs and traditions that are well worth knowing.
At the ancestral level, the culture has remained uninterrupted and many people fromI otavalothey maintain them over time, especially in what has to do with the history ofEcuadoras for the indigenous people.
In I otavaloThere is a place where they usually show everything related to these traditions, known as thePlaza de los Ponchos. It is very recognized worldwide and in this post we will give you more details about its customs.
More about the Plaza de los ponchos in Otavalo
As said previously, theplaza of the ponchosIt is known globally as theindigenous craft market, because nothing in the world resembles it, there tourists and visitors will be able to see a whole range of handmade ponchos, which gives it more of that artisanal touch made by its own indigenous people.
Also in this market you can find other clothing items such as pants and shirts, as well as scarves, jackets and gloves to face the cold of the altitude.QuitoIt is located more than 2,850 meters above sea level,I otavaloFor its part, it is also a little lower than the capital at 2,550 above sea level.
The Plaza de los PonchosIt is also usually known as theCentennial Marketand in Latin AmericaIt is one of the largest currently. What is most abundant here is everything related to textile crafts and with a wide menu of colors, focusing on diversity.
There is something for everyone, with the peculiarity that all the people who have their sales kiosks are mostly women who usually dress in their folkloric and typical costumes.Otavalo culture.
Materials that indigenous people use for their crafts
When it comes to quality, handmade ponchos have excellent quality in terms of their fabrics. In general, they tend to be somewhat thick but very soft to counteract the cold of the cities of theEcuador. Many of these crafts are displayed inthe party of San Juanwhich is a tradition of this indigenous culture.
Carved wood is one of the arts that Quito people usually have, from wooden figures, nativity scenes, dominoes, to kitchen utensils such as wooden cups, spoons, ladles, containers, among others. So to have a little piece of this artisanal market it is worth taking home a souvenir made by indigenous hands.
There are also many things made with artisanal clay, typical musical instruments of theEcuadorlike the famous rondador, made from reed reeds and its pieces range from small, medium and large, each one provides a unique sound, sometimes it usually emulates the song of birds, thus giving that folkloric touch to whoever manages to play the popular instrument.
I otavaloIt is synonymous with being a large market in which more than 1,000 vendors frequent, with a diversity of textures, colors and materials, each one with different manual weaving techniques and different forms of production, this makes it so interesting that it is a must-see destination for tourists who visitEcuador.
Since when has this Centenario Plaza been active?
The Centennial SquareIt was created in 1929, in that same yearI otavaloIt officially became a city, since it was previously called a town. Its first activities that year were to be a family recreation site and for sporting events. Later, barter trade was carried out among the indigenous people themselves.
It was later renamed thePlaza de los Ponchos, stopping calling as it had been done until then. It is worth mentioning that it changed somewhat when businesses began to be brought in from other parts, but crafts and embroidery still prevail, all handmade; Now, in general, crafts from any corner of the world come together in this market. Ecuador.
