Shopping in Peru

Shopping

By Michelle Hopey

Every country has its textile, pottery or art that it's famous for.  But Peru is an exception. It has so many quality choices—almost too many. But if you're a shopper, you'll enjoy Lima and Cusco and not only for cheap prices.  From hand-woven tapestries, beautiful crafted silver jewelry, knitted sweaters, scarves, gloves and clothing boutiques—it is a challenge to choose:  traditional folk art or modern contemporary painting?  antiqued tapestries or newly woven weavings? ceramics or CDs?

Soft, cozy, finely knit Alpaca sweaters are one of the best buys in Peru.  While they might be really expensive by Peruvian standards, the cost would still be much higher in Europe or the United States. Alpacas are descendants of camels and cousins to llamas, They evolved thousands of years ago developing a fine hair with remarkable softness, fineness, length, warmth, and strength. But finding the right Alpaca sweater or product is worth a little shopping around. 

Alpaca products, from sweaters to gloves to hats to ponchos are abundant through-out Peru, and especially in Cusco.  There are 22 different natural colors of Alpaca. Baby Alpaca makes the most luxorious and soft products.  Alpaca became the fiber used to clothe the wealthy Incans.  It is said that Baby Alpaca, the first shorn fiber produced by an Alpaca was reserved for royalty only, anyone not royalty found donning the cashmere-like product were penalized, to even death on some occasions.

While there are many high-end stores where you can get gorgeous sweaters at a hefty price—above 225 sols acrylic fakes are abundant too.  A high number of stores and often stalls (especially in Cusco) advertise real baby alpaca or real 100 percent pure alpaca products for 60 or 70 sols. In all likelihood, these are fakes, even if the store owner says it's real and gives you a long story about who made it.  Don't get duped. Real alpaca is beautifully made; the texture is super soft and feels like cashmere. If it's too silky though, it's probably been spun with polyester and if the texture is too rough, it's been spun with sheep's wool. Which still make fine products, but just aren't what you thought you were paying for. The label also makes a difference. A real alpaca sweater will have the label of the person who made it, or company. Most often, true alpaca items are found in mid-to high end stores in Cusco and Lima. As always, don’t wait for the airport, while well-advertised, they are also way over priced.

Since you are in the land of the Incas, artists have designed some exquisite pre-Colombian art work that you can purchase nearly anywhere from street markets to museums. A range of Incan designs are painted in a variety of colors from bright oranges and reds to earthy browns and stone blues. And they are not geared towards the tourist with: Cusco or Lima written on the bottom, these are art.  Relatively cheap and beautiful, they make a great wall hangings if you frame it later or gifts. Most artists and galleries have suitable packaging so that you can take it home with out damaging it.

And while we're on the Art side of things, don't forget to pick yourself up a bottle of Pisco, the delectable spirit used to make Pisco Sours and is readily available everywhere. 

As per textiles go, antiqued tapestries, which many indigenous once used and many still do to hold their babies, or barry fruits and veggies can be found. There is a store on the southwest side of Plaza De Armas which sells these beautiful tapestries in a range of colors. Also in Lima at the Avenida la Paz Market in Miraflores, many antiques tapestries, mostly of the rich, deep reds and blues. These are antiqued, so they would have been used long-ago before and might smell a little musty or have small stains, but they make a great wall hanging, especially if you frame them.

The closer you get south towards the silver mines of Bolivia, the more you will begin to see Silver stores, or Platerias as they are called in Spanish. Earrings, rings, necklaces, bracelets, jacket pins, hair pins, silverware, serving plates, candle stick holders and frames can all be found in both Lima and Cusco. Many are one-of-a-kind and most are handmade.

Lima tends to be more expensive, but, at the same, there are a slew of exceptional silver stalls especially at the market on Avenida La Paz in Miraflores. Here unique designs can be found, and many are created into Incan symbols, which are filled in with red, blue and green crushed stone to create the complete the design. Beautiful it is.  Necklaces and decorative pins are mostly done in this motif.

Cusco on the other hands—and even though it is still a tourist town—tends to be cheaper for Silver, probably because it is closer to Bolivia.  But in Cusco there are many, many shops along Plaza de Armas, which although nice for variety, require more sifting through to make sure what you're buying is true plata. Since silver is a soft metal in its purest form when mined, it’s too soft to be used for jewelry and other items.  So it's mixed with other metals to make it more durable. Only .925 is pure sterling silver, meaning that .075 is an additive, usually copper is added to make a pure 1000 parts silver. So anything around .925 is a good bet and that you're getting what you paid for. In Cusco you might also want to head up towards Calle San Blas, will find many small, funky independent jewelry boutiques that have some incredibly exciting finds.  

Finally, follow the guidelines below for securing and buying some great quality Peruvian products regardless of which town you are in:

First trick of the trade: From September to May is considered low season and many shop owners are likely to cut you a deal

Second tip:  As in all of South America its tradition and culture to bargain. Don't feel bad or feel like you should give more because they small indigenous shop owners. They expect you to bargain, and if you don’t, many locals will actually be offended.

Third hint: If you can pay in cash, do.  You are likely to get a deeper discount on the items you are purchasing. This includes even high-end stores where credit cards are common, and readily accepted.  The fees associated with credit-card payments tend to be higher than discounts, so it's worth their while.