Shopping

Sucre and the surrounding area are famous for handicrafts. If you happen to be in town on a Sunday and you're looking for handicrafts, you should head to the market in Tarabuco (about 56km/35 miles from Sucre). Here, you will find thousands of different textiles, hats, gloves, bags, and other hand-woven goodies. The market is one of the best in Bolivia. On Sunday mornings, buses leave from Sucre for Tarabuco from 7 to 9am at the corner of Avenida de la Américas and Manco Capac. The 1 1/2-hour ride costs Bs15 each way. Candelaria Tours, right off the central square at Audiencia 1 (tel. 0104/6461-661; www.candelariatours.com), also organizes day trips to the market and the surrounding area for Bs150 per person.

The gift shop at the Museo de Arte Indígena ASUR/Textile Museum, on San Alberto 413 (near the corner of Potosí), offers the best selection of textiles and handmade crafts in Sucre. Artesanías Sucre, Calle Olañeta 42 at Plazuela Zudáñez, and Artesanías Tesoros del Inca, Calle Camargo 514, also sell local handicrafts. You'll find everything under the sun at the unique Central Market on the corner of Junín and Ravelo. I recommend heading up to the second floor to try the local tojorí drink (boiled corn, cinnamon, and sugar) for breakfast; because of its high protein content, it's called "the cornflakes of the Andes." Para Ti on Arenales (about a third of a block in from the plaza) sells delicious handmade chocolate that come in cute little bamboo or banana tree bark boxes. Some bars include quinoa, while others have Brazil nuts or macadamia nuts.