Shopping

Cusco is Peru's acknowledged center of handicraft production, especially hand-woven textiles, and its premier shopping destination. Many Cusqueño artisans still employ ancient weaving techniques, and they produce some of the finest textiles in South America. Peru's top tourist draw overflows with shops stuffed with colorful, enticing wares. From tiny one-person shops to large markets with dozens of stalls, there are few better places to shop than Cusco for excellent-value Andean handicrafts.

Items to look for (you certainly won't have to look too hard because they're everywhere you turn) include alpaca-wool sweaters, shawls, gloves, hats, scarves, blankets, ponchos (in fact, there are so many cool and cheap cold-weather items here that many people end up tossing the things they've brought for the chilly nights), and antique blankets and textiles, beautiful but pricey; woodcarvings, especially nicely carved picture frames; fine ceramics and jewelry; and Escuela Cusqueña reproduction paintings.

The barrio of San Blas, the streets right around the Plaza de Armas (particularly calles Plateros and Triunfo), and Plaza Regocijo are the best and most convenient haunts for shopping outings. Many merchants sell similar merchandise, so some price comparison is always helpful. If sellers think you've just arrived in Peru and don't know the real value of items, your price is guaranteed to be higher. Although bargaining is acceptable and almost expected, merchants in the center of Cusco are confident of a steady stream of buyers, and, as a result, they are often less willing to negotiate than their counterparts in markets and more out-of-the-way places in Peru. Most visitors will find prices delightfully affordable, though, and haggling beyond what you know is a fair price, when the disparity of wealth is so great, is generally viewed as bad form.

Alpaca Fashions

It's difficult to walk 10 feet in Cusco without running into an alpaca goods shop. Almost everyone in Cusco will try to sell you what they claim to be 100% alpaca scarves and sweaters, but many sold on the street and in tourist stalls are inferior quality (and might even be mixed with man-made materials such as fiberglass). What is described as "baby alpaca" might be anything but. To get better quality, not to mention more stylish, examples, you need to visit a store that specializes in upscale alpaca fashions; they are much more expensive but, compared to international alpaca prices, still a true bargain. The following stores are some of the best, and they all feature great-looking shawls, jackets, and sweaters: Alpaca 3, Calle Ruinas 472 (tel. 084/226-101); Alpaca's Best, Plaza Nazarenas 197-199 (tel. 084/245-331); Alpaca 111, Plaza Recocijo 202 (tel. 084/243-233); Alpaca Golden, Portal de Panes 151 at Plaza de Armas and Zetas 109 at Plazoleta de Santo Domingo (no phone); Alpaca Treasures, Heladeros 172 (tel.084/438-557); and World Alpaca, Portal Carnes 232 (tel. 084/244-098). Werner & Ana, a Dutch-Peruvian design couple, sell stylish clothing in fine natural fabrics, including alpaca. They have a shop on Plaza San Francisco 295-A at Garcilaso (tel. 084/231-076). For women only, Montse Aucells, a Catalan designer resident in Cusco, has a small shop at Palacio 116 (tel. 084/226-330) that features by far the most fashionable and original designs I've seen in town. Many shops in Cusco feature sheep's wool or alpaca chompas, or jackets, with Andean designs (often lifted directly from old blankets and weavings). Artesanías Quipu Cancha, Plateros 321 (tel. 084/223-369), stocks stylish and well-made jackets in alpaca and dozens of styles (they'll even custom-make one for you). A different take on Peruvian fashions, sure to appeal to plenty of stylish backpackers, is available at Mundo Hemp, Qanchipata 596, San Blas (no phone), where you'll find 100% natural hemp clothes and housewares, as well as a funky little cafe.

Antiques

Most of the best antiques dealers are found in the San Blas district. Antigüedades y Artesanías Sayre, at Triunfo 352-B (tel. 084/236-981), and Galería de Arte Cusqueño Antigüedades, at Plazoleta San Blas 114 (tel. 084/237-857), have lots of different antiques, ranging from textiles to art and furniture. Another shop worth a peek is El Armario, Carmen Alto 118 (tel. 084/229-809). For a selection of expensive antique Andean textiles, visit the small shop at Portal Comercio 173 on Plaza de Armas (tel. 084/233-484); it appears to have no name, but the proud owner calls it Tienda-Museo de Josefina Olivera. You should probably take at least some of what she tells you about the origins and ages of some pieces with a grain of salt. For antique textiles, I much prefer the small stall at the end of the corridor (on the right side as you enter) within the Feria Artesanal at Plateros 334 . The stalls aren't numbered, and you might have to ask the owner to pull his older, more valuable pieces from a trunk he keeps them in, but he has some of the finest quality ceremonial textiles you'll find in Cusco.

Art & Handicrafts

Especially noteworthy is the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco, Av. El Sol 603 (tel. 084/228-117; www.textilescusco.org), an organization dedicated to "fair trade" practices. It ensures that 70% of the sale price of the very fine textiles on display goes directly to the six communities and individual artisans it works with. On-site is an ongoing demonstration of weaving and a very good, informative textiles museum. Prices are a bit higher than what you may find in generic shops around town, though the textiles are also higher quality, and much more of your money will go to the women who work for days on individual pieces. For a general selection of artesanía, Galería Latina, San Agustín 427 (tel. 084/246-588), has a wide range of top-end antique blankets, rugs, alpaca-wool clothing, ceramics, jewelry, and handicrafts from the Amazon jungle in a large, cozy shop near the Hotel Libertador. Centro Artesanal Cusco, at end of Avenida El Sol, across from the large painted waterfall fountain and Hotel Savoy, is the largest indoor market of handicrafts stalls in Cusco, and many goods are slightly cheaper here than they are closer to the plaza. Other centers with stalls and similar goods are Feria Artesanal Tesoros del Inca, Plateros 334 (tel. 084/233-484); Centro Artesanal "Conde de Gabucha," Zetas 109 (tel. 084/248-250); Centro Artesanal El Inca, San Andrés 218; Centro Artesanal Sambleño, Cuesta de San Blas 548; and Feria Artesanal Yachay Wasi, Triunfo 374.

San Blas is swimming with art galleries, artisan workshops, and ceramics shops. You'll stumble upon many small shops dealing in reproduction Escuela Cusqueña religious paintings and many workshops where you can watch artisans in action. Several of the best ceramics outlets are also here, and a small handicrafts market usually takes over the plaza on Saturday afternoon. Check out Artesanías Mendivil, known internationally for its singular saint figures with elongated necks, but also with a nice selection of mirrors, carved wood frames, Cusco School reproductions, and other ceramics; it has locations at Plazoleta San Blas 619 (tel. 084/233-247), Hatunrumíyoc 486 (tel. 084/233-234), and Plazoleta San Blas 634 (tel. 084/240-527). Artesanías Olave, the outlets of a high-quality crafts shop that does big business with tourists, are located at Triunfo 342 (tel. 084/252-935), Plazoleta San Blas 100 (tel. 084/246-300), and Plazoleta San Blas 651 (tel. 084/231-835). Juan Garboza taller (workshop), Tandapata 676, Plazoleta San Blas (tel. 084/248-039), specializes in pre-Incan-style ceramics. Aqlla, located at Cuesta de San Blas 565 and marked by a sign that says ETHNIC PERUVIAN ART (tel. 084/249-018), has great silver jewelry, folk and religious art, and fine alpaca items. Galería Sur, Hatunrumiyoc 487-B, (tel. 084/238-371) sells fine tapestries from Ayacucho.

Several artists in the San Blas area open their studios as commercial ventures, although some of these can be fairly expensive for the opportunity to watch a painter paint. Look for flyers in cafes and restaurants in San Blas, if you're interested.

Central Market

Cusco's famous, frenzied Mercado Central near the San Pedro rail station is shopping of a much different kind -- almost more of a top visitor's attraction than a shopping destination. Its array of products for sale -- mostly produce, food, and household items -- is dazzling. Even if you don't come to shop, this rich tapestry of modern and yet highly traditional Cusco still shouldn't be missed. If you're an adventurous type who doesn't mind eating at street stalls (which are generally pretty clean), you can get a ridiculously cheap lunch for about $1. Don't take valuables (or even your camera), though, and be on guard because the market is frequented by pickpockets targeting tourists. The market is open daily from 8am to 4pm or so.

Jewelry

Ilaria, one of the finest jewelry stores in Peru, deals in fine silver and unique Andean-style pieces, and has several branches in Cusco: at Hotel Monasterio, Palacios 136 (tel. 084/221-192); at Hotel Libertador, Plazoleta Santo Domingo 259 (tel. 084/223-192); and another at Portal Carrizos 258 on the Plaza de Armas (tel. 084/246-253). Many items, although not inexpensive, are a good value for handmade silver.

The contemporary jewelry designer Carlos Chaquiras, Triunfo 375 (tel. 084/227-470), is an excellent craftsman; many of his pieces feature pre-Columbian designs. Another nice shop with silver items is Platería El Tupo, Portal de Harinas 181, Plaza de Armas (tel. 084/229-809). Chimú Art & Gifts, Carmen Alto 187-B, San Blas (tel. 084/801-968), is a funky shop featuring cool contemporary designs in silver, many based on interpretations of Chimú culture art. Rocío Pérez shows her original designs (packaged in handmade bags) at her little shop, Jewelry Esma, in the entryway to the Quinta Paccha Papa restaurant, at Plaza San Blas 120.

Woodwork

Lots of shops have hand-carved woodwork and frames. However, the best spots for handmade baroque frames (perfect for your Cusco School reproduction or religious shrine) are La Casa del Altar, Mesa Redonda Lote A near the Plaza de Armas (tel. 084/244-712), which makes retablos and altars in addition to frames; and the small taller (studio) where Miguel Angel León Sierra and children and grandchildren make splendid handmade cedar frames to order (the kind one sees on most art from the Escuela Cusqueña originals and imitations). The taller is just off Plaza de Nazarenas, at Córdoba del Tucumán 372 (tel. 084/236-271).