A weaver at the Otavalo Museo Viviente museum of indigenous culture, which is housed in a former textile factory
Embroidering the type of blouses worn by many indigenous Otavalo women
Chris with one of founders of the Museo Viviente and her son, who was our guide
The grand old hacienda house that is now part of the museum
Bust of Inca warrior Ruminahui, who lead the resistence against the Spanish, in front of a Catholic church
A worshiper in the Sanctuary of Our Lord of Anguish
Young indigenous women, in their characteristic long wool skirts and ponytails wrapped with woven bands, head to the weekly livestock market outside Otavalo
The cow area at the brand-new complex for Otavalo's livestock market
Taking home a new calf
Otavalo women's shawls can be used to carry everything
Leaving the livestock market after a successful day of shopping
Guinea pigs for sale; in this part of Ecuador, they can be pets or dinner
The livestock market in very clean and well. organized, with sections for different kinds of animals
The last llama left in the market
Ropes for sale so you can lead your new animals home
A clothing market next to the livestock area
Embroidered blouses of the kind worn by many indigenous Otavalo women
Produce for sale at the daily market in the center of Otavalo
Grilled plantains are a local favorite
A woman looks at the gold beaded necklaces traditionally worn by Otavalo women.
Otavalo's central market draws tourists from all over the world
Visitors check out goods in the Otavalo market. Most of the things for sale these days are mass produced rather than made by hand.
A boy in the village of San Rafael weaves a mat from totora reeds that grow on the shores of nearby San Pablo Lake
He uses a smooth volcanic stone to flatten the reeds after interlacing them
A weaver in Peguche demonstrates the traditional process of carding wool . . .
. . . and then spinning it into thread . . .
. . . and then weaving it
Local flowers, nuts, and seeds are used to dye wool
Finished products in the showroom at El Gran Condor weaving studio in Peguche
Peguche waterfall near Otavalo
A mural near the waterfall celebrates nature and the music for which the Otavalo area is famous
A woman at a workshop in Peguche cuts and binds bamboo stalks to make traditional pipes
Pipes for sale (on a mat of totora reeds)
Demonstrating some of the styles of bamboo pipes played in Ecuador and Bolivia
Cuicocha Lake near Otavalo, which formed in an old crater at the foot of Cotacachi Volcano
Chris and our guide, John, at Cuicocha Lake (we were lucky to get a clear view because the lake is often in clouds)