Ahh, the market...

Indeed, one of the finer, or at least one of the richest, experiences you can have as a foreigner in Cusco, Peru. Anyone who spends any time in the old Inca capital must forgo the tourist mainstream and slip into the awfully pungent yet eclectic and colorful atmosphere of El Mercado de la Merced, the Merced Market, named for the neighborhood and 14th Century catholic church nearby.


This market is one of, if not the largest open-air markets in the downtown area and is packed full of hundreds of farmers, craftsmen, small Andean women who bring their textiles from the mountains and shaw men selling herbs.

Booth set-ups like these are placed sporadically throughout the maze of raw meat, groceries, juice tubs, soup kitchens and wheels of fresh goat cheese. The vibrant colors are quite eye-catching.





— Christopher