Saquisili Market

Saquisili holds its market every Thursday and it is unusual in scale and in character: rather than one square it occupies eight separate plazas through the town, each given to different goods, with produce in one, textiles in another, household items, ropes and hardware in others, and the animal market on the edge of town where cattle, pigs, sheep and guinea pigs change hands from dawn. It serves the surrounding Kichwa communities rather than visitors, so the crowd is people buying what they need, in the dress of their own villages, and the transactions are real. It starts before six and thins by early afternoon, which means an early start from Latacunga or Quito.

What to look for

• Eight plazas by trade - produce, textiles, rope and hardware separated.
• The dawn animal market - cattle, pigs and guinea pigs traded from first light.
• Kichwa communities buying - a working market, not a craft fair.
• Village dress across the crowd - the different communities identifiable.

When to go

Thursday only, from before dawn to about midday; the animal market is earliest and thins first. Half a day, starting very early. Other days there is nothing.

Before you go

It is Thursday or nothing. The animal market is a livestock market with the smells and handling that implies. It is crowded and pickpocketing happens. Photography of people needs asking.

Nearby

Latacunga is south-east; the Quilotoa loop runs west.