The Mercado Artesanal (tel. 04/2306-266), on Baquerizo Moreno, between calles Loja and Juan Montalvo, is the best place to buy local handicrafts. You'll find over 280 stalls and shops run by area businesspeople as well as by the artisans themselves. Everything from tagua nut -- also called vegetable ivory -- carvings to Otavaleño textiles to Panama hats and ceramics is available.
As a throbbing metropolis, Guayaquil is full of modern shopping malls that include the San Marino Mall (tel. 04/2083-178), Mall del Sur (tel. 04/2085-000), and Mall del Sol (tel. 04/2690-100). Each has scores of shops, a couple of department stores, a food court and independent restaurants, and a multiplex cinema. The Malecón 2000 shopping center is one of the town's newest and most frequented by visitors. It's located on the Malecón near Calle Junín.
