Saquisili is a gigantic local market approximately 30 minutes from Latacunga.

Unlike Otavalo, which is mostly handcrafts and artisens centered around the plaza de ponchos, Saquisili has several different market spaces devoted to food

With scenic shoppers that don’t enjoy having their photographs taken

I love the colorful way the indigenous women dress

There are plenty of other scenic sights around the marketplace, like these sheep tethered to a bus top

And cow heads tossed in a truck bed

Glorious piles of fruit

And less glorious piles of chicken parts

until they’re turning crispy brown on the grill

Innovative tire baskets

And my favorite street food in Ecuador, tortillas de maiz full of melted cheese.

At 3 for 50 cents, they’re the best deal ever!

If you want to visit a big local market, try new and curious foods and see more plantains than weavings, I’d recommend a trip to Saquisili. Thursday is market day and there are several different plazas so you could spend all day just wandering around. But keep in mind that it’s a local market; so, gringos with cameras aren’t a welcome sight unless they’re purchasing things.