One of the best things to do while in Cuzco is to visit the Sunday farmer’s market in the nearby Andean town of Pisac, taking either a taxi or a more economical bus to get there. The villagers surrounding Pisac come from miles around to sell their products - vegetables, fruits, cheeses, handmade alpaca products, colorful dyes - or barter with other villagers for the things they need. I was struck by the beautiful colors of the clothing that the villagers wore, like these bright “mantas” worn around the shoulders and ornate “monteras” decorated with intricate embroidery patterns. Interestingly, the style and colors of an Andean woman’s montera indicate the specific village from which she comes. No trip to Cuzco is complete without taking time to visit the fascinating Sunday farmer’s market in picturesque Pisac!

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Ruins at Písac

One of the top Incan sites in the Sacred Valley is set high above the town of Písac and offers views spectacular enough to inspire any photographer, amateur or professional. The ruin’s temple area is well worth the visit, and the walk up to the site from the village, past terraced fields along a well-marked path, is a satisfying challenge. Písac’s sprawling and colorful market used to be the Peruvian market to visit, but its popularity has meant higher prices and fewer artisans selling their own work. That said, the market, especially on Sundays, is something to behold.

Ruins at Písac

One of the top Incan sites in the Sacred Valley is set high above the town of Písac and offers views spectacular enough to inspire any photographer, amateur or professional. The ruin’s temple area is well worth the visit, and the walk up to the site from the village, past terraced fields along a well-marked path, is a satisfying challenge. Písac’s sprawling and colorful market used to be the Peruvian market to visit, but its popularity has meant higher prices and fewer artisans selling their own work. That said, the market, especially on Sundays, is something to behold.

Ruins at Písac

One of the top Incan sites in the Sacred Valley is set high above the town of Písac and offers views spectacular enough to inspire any photographer, amateur or professional. The ruin’s temple area is well worth the visit, and the walk up to the site from the village, past terraced fields along a well-marked path, is a satisfying challenge. Písac’s sprawling and colorful market used to be the Peruvian market to visit, but its popularity has meant higher prices and fewer artisans selling their own work. That said, the market, especially on Sundays, is something to behold.

Bright Andean Mantas and Monteras

One of the best things to do while in Cuzco is to visit the Sunday farmer’s market in the nearby Andean town of Pisac, taking either a taxi or a more economical bus to get there. The villagers surrounding Pisac come from miles around to sell their products - vegetables, fruits, cheeses, handmade alpaca products, colorful dyes - or barter with other villagers for the things they need. I was struck by the beautiful colors of the clothing that the villagers wore, like these bright “mantas” worn around the shoulders and ornate “monteras” decorated with intricate embroidery patterns. Interestingly, the style and colors of an Andean woman’s montera indicate the specific village from which she comes. No trip to Cuzco is complete without taking time to visit the fascinating Sunday farmer’s market in picturesque Pisac!

The Market at Pisac

A great place to find local goods.

Peruvian Street Children

During market day in Pisac (Sacred Valley), Peru, this youngster appeared at my elbow, seeking attention from the gringa photographer. Market Day in Pisac can normally bring in hundreds of tourists but due the rains recent torrential rains in the Sacred Valley, many roads were impassable. On this day, only a handful of gringos attended the market and children eagerly waited the arrival of each one.

Pisac Market

The legendary Pisac Marketplace on Sundays. Just a short taxi ride from Cusco, this place is filled with everything you can imagine. It is split into two areas, one being the art, textiles & souvenirs, and the other side being a food market where the locals bring their produce to sell/trade. There are vendors who serve boiled or fried corn with seasoning, which is excellent! Don’t be surprised to see a cow head sitting next to a bowl full of fresh fish. You can easily walk away from this place with all of the gifts you would want to bring home for your loved ones. After visiting the market, check out the ruins of the old fortress & terraces which overlook the town.

Market Curiosity

This little girl was the family potato inspector this day. The legendary Pisac Marketplace on Sundays. Just a short taxi ride from Cusco, this place is filled with everything you can imagine. It is split into two areas, one being the art, textiles & souvenirs, and the other side being a food market where the locals bring their produce to sell/trade. There are vendors who serve boiled or fried corn with seasoning, which is excellent! Don’t be surprised to see a cow head sitting next to a bowl full of fresh fish. You can easily walk away from this place with all of the gifts you would want to bring home for your loved ones. After visiting the market, check out the ruins of the old fortress & terraces which overlook the town.

Colorful Flowers, Colorful Woman

One of the most fun things to do on any trip to Cuzco, Peru, is to visit the weekly Sunday farmer’s market held in nearby Pisac. Aside from getting a stunning view of the lush Urubamba Valey on the drive from Cuzco to Pisac, the weekly market itself is a feast for the senses. The locals around Pisac gather at the market every Sunday to buy and barter for the things they need or want - from breads to vegetables to bright clothing dyes. This particular woman caught my attention because of her colorful traditional clothing set against the equally colorful purple flowers she was picking out. When in Cuzco, make sure to take some time to visit the wonderful Pisac farmer’s market to get a real sense of what life is like for rural Peruvians living in the Urubamba Valley. While there are smaller markets in Pisac various days of the week, the Sunday market is the largest and most interesting.

Onions For Sale

While visiting Cuzco, make sure to take a day trip to the Sunday farmer’s market in nearby Pisac. Aside from enjoying a beautiful drive from Cuzco to Pisac with a stunning view of the lush Urubamba Valley along the way, the Pisac market itself is an interesting look what life is like for those living in the Urubamba Valley. The market itself is a feast for the senses, with locals setting out their offerings for other locals to buy or barter for, like this woman displaying what looked to be delicious homegrown onions. When in the Cuzco area, I highly recommend taking a day trip to nearby Pisac to take in the Sunday farmer’s market - you won’t be disappointed.

Pisac Farmer's Market

One of the best day trips from Cuzco, Peru, is a visit to the Sunday farmer’s market held in nearby Pisac. Locals from all over the region gather at the weekly market to sell and trade their goods, ranging from fresh-picked produce to handmade textiles and dyes to creamy cheeses. Hiring a taxi in Cuzco at a cost of around $15 each way is the easiest way to get to the Pisac Sunday market, but if you’re on a tight budget you can take a local bus to Pisac for only $2 each way. The winding road to Pisac travels through the Andes and looks out over the stunning Urubamba Valley - make sure to stop along the way for a birdseye view of the region’s fertile farmlands surrounded by the towering Andes mountains. At the Pisac farmer’s market, this vendor was selling pieces of small bread, freshly baked that morning and still warm from the oven. My husband and I happily nibbled on the delicious bread while wandering through the market, taking in its sights and sounds. A true feast for the sense.

Pisac Produce for Sale

My husband and I took one of our favorite day trips from Cuzco, Peru, when we visited the Sunday farmer’s market in the nearby town of Pisac, nestled in the Andes about 19 miles outside Cuzco. Merchants from all over the region gather at the Sunday market to sell and trade their goods - everything from cheeses and cured meats to colorful flowers to handmade textiles and dyes. One of the most common offerings at the Pisac farmer’s market is fresh produce, grown in the rich, fertile soil of the surrounding Urubamba Valley and likely picked very early that same morning. The easiest way to get to the Pisac farmer’s market is to hire a taxi in Cuzco for about $15 each way, but for those on a tight budget a local bus runs to Pisac for about $2 each way. The road to Pisac winds through the Andes and overlooks the stunning Urubamba Valley below, so make sure to stop along the way for a birdseye view of the region’s fertile farmlands that produced the fruits and vegetables you’ll see for sale at the market.

Beautiful Flowers In the Pisac Farmer's Market

One of the best day trips from Cuzco, Peru, is a visit to the Sunday farmer’s market held in nearby Pisac. Local farmers and merchants from all over the region gather at the market to sell and trade their goods, ranging from fresh-picked produce to handmade textiles and dyes to creamy cheeses. The easiest way to get to Pisac, if you don’t have a rental car of your own, is to hire a taxi in Cuzco for an affordable $15 each way. Even more affordable - an amazingly-low $2 local bus trip to Pisac. The road to Pisac winds through the Andes and offers amazing views of the bucolic Urubamba Valley below. Make sure to stop along the way for a birdseye view of the region’s fertile farmlands surrounded by the towering Andes mountains. I loved the beautiful hats and shawls the women at the market wore. This hat in particular, with its cheerful purple flowers, caught my eye. The Pisac Sunday farmer’s market is a perfect feast for the senses and not to be missed on any trip to Cuzco.

Fresh and Pipin' Hot

When you’re in Cuzco, one of the best ways to spend a day is to visit the picturesque Andean village of Pisac, especially on a Sunday when the town holds its weekly farmer’s market. Villagers from miles around travel to the Sunday market to barter and sell their produce and handmade goods, everything from fresh vegetables and pungent cheeses to colorful dyes and handmade alpaca goods. You can also enjoy delicious snacks like this freshly-baked bread that’s so hot it burns your fingers, and it tastes even better than it looks. The easiest way to get to the Pisac Sunday market is to hire a taxi in Cuzco, which costs around $15 each way; those on a budget can take the local bus for only $2 each way. The road to Pisac travels through the Andes and looks out over the beautiful Urubamba Valley, so make sure to stop along the way for a birdseye view of the region’s fertile farmlands surrounded by the glorious Andes mountains.

Sleepy Shopper

On any trip to Cuzco, one of the most fun things to do on a Sunday morning is to hire a taxi or take the local bus to the picturesque Andean village of Pisac to visit their weekly farmer’s market. Villagers come from miles around to sell their products - fruits, vegetables, cheeses, spices, handmade alpaca goods - or barter with the other villagers for the things they want or need. This little girl looked like she was tired of shopping and ready for a nap, although I got the sense that her mom was just getting started at the market. Don’t miss a visit to the Sunday Pisac farmer’s market if you find yourself in Cuzco - it’s a great place to experience what life would be like as a Peruvian farmer working hard to make a living in the midst of the beautiful Peruvian Andes.

Welcomed With a Warm Smile

No trip to Cuzco is complete without a trip to the Sunday farmer’s market in the nearby Andean village of Pisac. Villagers gather at the market from miles around to sell their produce and barter with other villagers for the things they want and need. One of the things that struck me about Peru is how everywhere we went the people were some of the friendliest I’ve ever met. This woman, selling her produce at the Pisac Sunday market, greeted us with a warm smile and welcoming, “Buenas dias.” You can get to the Pisac Sunday market in a couple of ways. If you want to spend a little more you can rent a taxi for about $15 each way, which allows you to stop just outside Pisac for a glorious birdseye view of the picturesque Urubamba Valley below surrounded by the towering green Andes Mountains. For a cheaper alternative, take the local bus to the Pisac market for only $2, but doing so unfortunately doesn’t allow for sightseeing stops. Whichever way you choose to get there, make sure to take time on a Sunday morning to visit the Pisac farmer’s market, where you’ll feel as welcomed by the local villagers as if you’d grown up there yourself.

Sundown Catch Up

When you make the trek to Peru, you go to Cuzco, and then you go to Machu Picchu. But there are many more places to explore in this ancient land. Prior to heading off to the more traditional destination, we decided to head out to Pisaq, a bus ride outside of Cuzco. Our driver delivered us to our destination, and the whole time he was also taking kids home from school. To this day we are still not sure if we got on the correct bus or not, but it sure beat the dull bus rides home I had as a kid. Upon arrival, it seemed liked a pretty easy 5K hike, but with the change in altitude, and having only been in town for 24 hours, we quickly learned that breathing less air does, in fact, hinder your energy levels. No matter, we still hiked an old Inca Fortress, and at one point I ran through the ruins humming the theme song from The Last of the Mohicans movie, thinking I was actually Daniel Day-Lewis. Note: I do realize how incredibly historically flawed the aforementioned comment is, but seriously, I just rode a school bus and hadn’t adjusted to the the altitude yet, so please humor me. As I was panting with my head down, I looked up and saw my younger brother had reached the edge just as the light was beginning to fade. It was just the inspiration I needed: the sun going down allowed me to catch up.

The Traveler

It is in all of us. That inner drive, that dream, the need to keep exploring that which we do not yet know. We all have something from which we draw inspiration, that well of energy and passion that makes us constantly travel and explore the globe. For me, it is simply an overwhelming curiosity about anything that is foreign to me. This can be a far off place with unique customs and traditions, or simply the yoga studio down the street that I recently set foot in for the first time, scared out of my mind, foreign to me. But it is the precious moment where the excitement, the fear, the joy and the wonder join together perfectly to quell the curiosity. And for that perfect moment, you realize that you finally know that place for the very first time. The photo above captures that feeling for me, because at that exact moment The Traveler ‘knows.’ He is immersed in the moment in its entirety, and yet he gazes off into the distance thinking: Where to next?

Bright Dyes For Sale

While visiting Peru last year, my husband and I were lucky enough to be in Pisac for the weekly farmer’s market held every Sunday. During the market, local Peruvians meet to buy and barter produce, bread, and other supplies they need for the week. The market also caters to tourists as well, offering handmade crafts, food, and drinks that are fun to try. I was struck by the variety of products for sale, probably the most surprising of which was this powdered dye. I loved the bright colors, which I thought perfectly summed up the color and liveliness of the Pisac market and Peru generally.

Hiking in Pisac

Everyone stops in Cuzco on their way to the well-known Machu Picchu. But not everyone takes in some of the surrounding visual riches of nearby towns that are a mere bus ride away. Take this view for example, which isn’t far from Cuzco at all. Find a bus station, and ask them to take you to (and from) the tiny town of Pisac. It’s not big at all, but you will find a quaint little village, and a wonderful local market where you can purchase trinkets and small handmade crafts from local artisans. Any local can then point you in the direction of the nearby ruins (read: walk up the mountain), at which point you will see the photo above. The entire trip and hike can be done in about half a day, and it’s a nice change from the hustle and bustle of MP.

Pisaq Sunday Market

My advice to you is find the corn. Pisaq, a small, bustling town in Peru’s Sacred Valley, holds a famous Sunday market every week, filled with local fashion, jewelry, bedding, and knick-knacks that will probably end up under your bed, never to be seen again. I loved exploring the market but you must try the corn, with bigger kernels than I’ve ever seen, and a faintly sweet taste. It’s sold in mini stands around the market.

Pretty Pisac

An easy drive (or even taxi ride) northeast of Cusco, the charming village of Pisac has long-been a convenient stopping point for visitors venturing into the Sacred Valley. In recent years, though, it’s become a popular destination in its own right. Notable historic attractions include the ruins of an Inca citadel set high on the cliffs above the town, framed by dramatic gorges. The bustling market, open on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday (the latter is the most crowded), has all the take-home gifts you’ll want on one side (think artwork, textiles, alpaca wool blankets, handmade jewelry, and more), and a local farmers market and street food vendors on the other. Colorful and lively, the market already draws the tourist bus crowd, but it’s still worth a visit—if only for the photos (though you’ll almost surely leave with at least a trinket or two). Photo by Jan Beck/Flickr.

Pisac

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Unlikely Art

On the side of the road in the Pisac Market were this pile of crushed ice cream cones. It looked like an abstract painting.

Pisac Market

The legendary Pisac Marketplace on Sundays. Just a short taxi ride from Cusco, this place is filled with everything you can imagine. It is split into two areas, one being the art, textiles & souvenirs, and the other side being a food market where the locals bring their produce to sell/trade. There are vendors who serve boiled or fried corn with seasoning, which is excellent! Don’t be surprised to see a cow head sitting next to a bowl full of fresh fish. You can easily walk away from this place with all of the gifts you would want to bring home for your loved ones. After visiting the market, check out the ruins of the old fortress & terraces which overlook the town.

Pisac Market

A typical sight at the Pisac marketplace on Sundays. Either you come as a tourist to buy souvenirs such as wool hats, purses, belts, artwork & jewelry, or, you come to buy food. Pictured here is the food market with the goods area in the background. This woman was butchering a cow behind the table and selling every last piece. All around her are vendors selling vegetables, fruits, grains, meat & fish. The Pisac market is a fascinating place to visit, and really gives you a sense of how Peruvians live. It is a short taxi ride from Cusco, and most taxi drivers will stay until you are finished walking through the market.

An irresistible sales pro

The alpaca weaving that this young girl is coyly displaying for me, and the camera, lays on the back of the sofa in my family room. It’s a standout in the room, but it wasn’t so extraordinary when up against the hundreds of beautiful textile exhibited in booth after booth, row after row, market after market. This one was irresistible to me because of the salesgirl. Very young --her mother was in the back of the booth giving her full rein--she convinced us with her beautiful eyes that this one was a keeper. Every time I see the deep greens and warm reds against the couch, I recall with fondness wandering around the bustling markets in Peru, especially the market in Pisac, where we were lucky enough to spend a few moments with this charming, engaging salesgirl.

Market Day in Pisac

Our month in Peru consisted of Lima, Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Lake Titicaca, Colca Canyon, and Arequipa. These places were all amazing, but my fondest memories are of the Sacred Valley. We stayed at a B&B called The Green House, which we highly recommend, and took day trips to various small towns and sites, including Machu Picchu, and this little town called Pisac. Go on market day, where the locals are out hawking their goods that range from local produce and street food to handmade crafts and cheesy souvenirs.

Give locals some Sole to take thier picture

Pisac is full of colors, fruits, textiles, and beautiful locals in traditional dress ready for your best shot! Don’t be surprised if they ask you for money after you get your photo, its how the family makes a living. A couple of Sole will do!

Shopping at the Pisac Market

Today being Monday the reknowned Pisac Market in Peru’s Sacred Valley is practically mine alone to explore (it’s most busy on Sundays). The vendors are not overly aggressive and their merchandise is fairly high quality — if a little too colorful for my tastes — so strolling the aisles is not the exercise in chaos and harassment I had feared. AND they take Visa. I am now the proud owner of three new alpaca sweaters. Incredible Trip to Peru: http://bit.ly/11IZdBX

Pisac local market

While on a trip to Peru, and on the way to Machu Picchu, we stopped in Pisac to visit the local market. Tucked in behind the more tourist market, you’ll find the local market. Here, villagers from all around bring their goods to barter with each other. Very little money is used; mostly they trade with each other with the surplus they have for what they need.

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