Crafts and Shops in Cusco and the Sacred Valley: What to Buy and Where

Buying crafts in Cusco can be a good way to support the people who make them, or a confusing experience if you don’t know what you are looking at. This guide explains where each type of purchase is concentrated, how to recognize a good product and what questions to ask, without recommending specific shops.

Where each kind of thing is concentrated

• Mercado Central de San Pedro (Cusco): a shopping guide ranks it among the top options for local products and affordable souvenirs. It is good for comparing across many stalls.
• Streets in the center (Plateros, Triunfo, Mantas): these concentrate shops selling textiles, alpaca garments, jewelry and paintings. As it is a very touristy area, it pays to compare before buying.
• San Blas: it was the neighborhood of the colonial artisan guilds. There are still workshops for silver, ceramics, textiles and retablos, small galleries and art shops. Its streets are cobbled and steep, so bring comfortable shoes.
• Pisac: its market runs on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, and is larger on Sunday, when Quechua communities from the surrounding area come down to sell their products. A good share of the stalls are aimed at tourists. One shopping guide advises not going to Pisac only to shop, but combining it with other visits.
• Chinchero: known for its textile tradition and its weaving demonstrations.
• Urubamba and Ollantaytambo: there are ceramics workshops and shops linked to artisan organizations; some receive visitors.

Textiles and alpaca

A shopping guide from a local operator warns that, near the Plaza de Armas, synthetic garments are sold as if they were “baby alpaca.” To tell them apart, it suggests these basic tests:

• Alpaca fiber feels cool on first touch and then warms up with your body heat.
• Authentic garments tend to weigh more.
• Natural fiber doesn’t build up static electricity.

These are clues, not a guarantee. The safest approach is to buy from organizations that explain where each piece comes from. In Cusco there is a nonprofit NGO that works with ten weaving communities and has a museum, shop and workshops; in Ollantaytambo there is another nonprofit organization that sells what its artisan members make. These examples show the model; they are not recommendations.

Ceramics, silver and art

Workshop-galleries let you see how a piece is made and talk to the person who creates it. Silver in San Blas is traditionally worked by hammering the sheet over a form and chiseling the detail. Ask about the material, the origin and whether the piece is signed.

How to shop well

• Compare at several stalls before deciding.
• Carry cash in small bills for traditional markets; formal shops usually accept cards.
• Ask who made the piece and where. If the answer is vague, be wary.
• Haggling is part of the markets, but do it respectfully; in fixed-price or fair-trade shops it is not appropriate.
• Ask for a receipt, especially on valuable purchases.

When to go

The Pisac market is liveliest on Sunday, but also the most crowded. If you prefer calm, go on a Tuesday or Thursday. In the dry season (June to August) there are more visitors and prices generally rise.

In short

• San Pedro for variety, San Blas for workshops and art, Pisac for the market, Chinchero for textiles.
• Authentic alpaca feels cool, is heavy and doesn’t pick up static; don’t rely on the label alone.
• Prefer organizations that tell you who weaves and where.
• Compare, carry cash in small bills and ask for a receipt.
• Avoid going to Pisac only to shop.

When PuroCusco has businesses listed, you will see them at /categoria/tiendas; for now, use this guide to shop wisely.