The city鈥檚 most unusual market lies along Calles Jim茅nez and Linares between Sag谩rnaga and Av Mariscal Santa Cruz, amid lively tourist 补谤迟别蝉补苍铆补蝉 (stores selling locally handcrafted items). What is on sale isn鈥檛 witchcraft as depicted in horror films; the merchandise is herbal and folk remedies, plus a few more unorthodox ingredients intended to supplicate the various spirits of the Aymar谩 world.
Here you'll find ingredients like dried toucan beaks, intended to cure ills and protect supplicants from bad spirits. If you鈥檙e building a new house you can buy a llama fetus to bury beneath the cornerstone as a 肠丑补鈥檒濒补 (offering) to Pachamama (Mother Earth). If you're feeling ill or being pestered by bothersome spooks, you can purchase a plateful of colorful herbs, seeds and assorted critter parts to remedy the problem. As you pass the market stalls, watch for wandering yatiris (traditional healers), who wear dark hats and carry coca pouches, and offer (mainly to locals) fortune-telling services.
Inquiries and photographs taken here may be met with unpleasantness 鈥 ask politely first.
