Mercado Municipal in Cuzco, Peru. Every town and city we’ve visited has its own version of the public market, which is like a farmer’s market, the supermarket, the butcher, and the dollar store, all rolled into one, plus they have rows of lunch counters that serve hot and tasty homemade soups and cheap meals. The variety of merchandise is amazing and overwhelming! This place also had tailors, stalls that sell fabrics and notions, and lots of fancy traditional costumes for sale.
On our last day in town, we happened to wander off into the “other” Cuzco, that is, the less touristy side of town where the locals hang out. It was a totally different story! We poked around the Mercado Municipal, a big colorful public market just like the ones we’ve visited in almost every town along our trip – but this one was the biggest, and filled with tantalizing arroz chaufa and other favorite peruvian dishes on offer at the lunch counters.
a plethora of juice vendors!
pig head for sale
Beyond the market, we found a maze of smaller markets and shops, streets filled with vendors, etc… It was great to see a livelier and more genuine side to the city.
busy streets behind the Mercado Municipal in Cuzco
baby chickens for sale