Huancayo’s Indigenous Marketplace

Huancayo’s Indigenous Marketplace

I have been to many markets, throughout South America, and Central America, and Santiago has a fine one, as does Cuzco, and Rio, as does cities in Paraguay, and Bolivia, even Caracas—and I suppose I could mention even more, but Huancayo, Peru, an Indian city in the Andes, cuddled within a valley, called: The Mantaro Valley, has the finest Market of them all—I believe the finest and longest I’ve ever seen, perhaps six to eight blocks long. I can never see the end of it, when I stand at the front of it.
It is on one of the main streets, and the skies are always blue and warm—pert-near year round, on these Sunday mornings, with its mass of flocking people to the endless cobblestone street, and the colors in the marketplace— are molten together from every color of the rainbow and then some.
There are two sides to the Marketplace, and two narrow paths, one for each side, the inhabitants (Indians) and Cholos are selling and buying everything that is movable, and as you walk down those narrow paths—you become enmeshed with the people to where you cannot even see two feet in front of you.
I remember while in Beijing, China, at the Silk Market, it was about two-blocks long, and you could not see two feet in front of you, and I thought that was a crowd, but Huancayo has that beaten: here you will see skirts and blouses, all homespun in all colors, from midnight blues to wine-red colors. There is so much to see you have to take the whole morning and half the afternoon to walk down and up those two paths.
The shapes and colors are so stirring—from end to end—you will have to rest a few times, especially if you are an elder person, and get a bite to eat. They have loads of food, from small pigeon like eggs, to cow hearts, and even chicken and coke. Then once starting up again you run into the terracotta jars and bowls, vases and dishes, and the brass items: such as bulls, and horses, and all at a reasonable cost, perhaps 20% of its retail value, that you’d pay in the United States.
And often on Sundays, you may find a procession going on at the main square by the cathedral, if you get there early enough in the morning (and there will be many shoeshine boys in the Plaza de Arms, be careful around them; it might be safer to get your shoeshine at the corner where there are park shoeshine adults). The main street in front of the plaza is an old Inca Road. And the building across from the plaza is where Juan Parra del Riego, was born, a great Peruvian Poet, who was friends with Cesar Vallejo.
But back to the marketplace: you will find shoes and shoemakers, and hats, wide brim, every kind, handsome, dark and light features, and many Indian fashioned rugs and blankets. In Huancayo, many of the women, they still wear the traditional cloths of their ancestors, very colorful. Much silver and jewelry is sold there also.
You will see the women in these canvas sheltered stalls, with babies (breast feeding them, as they knit and take care of customers).
It becomes near impossible to choose what you want, there is so much. In that the process takes a while to: examine, consider, bargain, and then finalize the sale, you become exhausted. Everything homespun, homemade, hand carved.

I have been there several times and end up bargaining all morning long, and some things are what you might consider extremely cheap. But a native from Huancayo expects you to bargain, it is part of their tradition (seemingly in their blood)—or so it would appear, as they are very talkative people in general. It is really hard to get out of the market by noon, helplessly dragging yourself to a few more stalls, because you think you might miss something. You will see a few drunks lurching about, and beggars, but nothing extraordinary.
They prefer their sole coins and paper money for currency, but have adjusted to the dollar, and may take them. You will see much gossiping, bargaining, a little quarreling, many colors, the sun, lots of noise, and a lazy day it will seem—with a lasting memory of one of the greatest shows on earth—The Huancayo Market of Peru.

By Dennis L. Siluk, Ed.D.
3-16-2010