Near the Plaza de Armas of Cuzco, in front of a train station, is the San Pedro market, the main supply center of the city. Built in 1925 by Gustave Eiffel, it is the oldest in the city.
Traditions, colors, flavors and aromas are concentrated in this place, where you can find all the fresh products typical of the region, as well as meats, cheeses, breads, coffee, chocolate, nuts, flowers and handicrafts.
A mandatory stop if you are in Cuzco.
In any itinerary to Cuzco, you should include going through the market since it is a cultural, experiential, incredible and entertaining experience. This is one of the best places to learn about Andean culture, since you will be able to hear the correct pronunciation of the Quechua language, feel the smell of various products and flowers, as well as appreciate how artisan garments are made up close.
It is located 6 minutes from the center of Cusco, in front of the San Pedro Station and the PeruRail ticket office, in front of the San Pedro Square and Santa Clara street.
Getting to the Central Market of San Pedro is easy, it is located 5 blocks from the Plaza de Armas of Cuzco in a west direction. You just have to follow the street that goes from the Church of the Company of Jesus to the right side of the Plaza de Armas, in the direction of the convent of La Merced.
The commerce of supplies in the city of Cusco was carried out mostly in the market that went from the Plaza de Armas to the Plaza San Francisco, but, in 1910, during the management of Manuel Silvestre Frisancho, the transfer of this market to the neighborhood was arranged. of San Pedro. The place chosen for the work was the "Pampa de Qasqaparo", which was part of the land of the Convent of Santa Clara.
The construction of the market consists of two parts, the first being carried out and designed in 1925 by the French architect Gustave Eiffel, the same one who built the famous Eiffel Tower; It was the largest covered area built in the city of Cusco up to that date. Likewise, the inauguration of the market was carried out by the mayor and it was called "Mercado Frisancho" at first.
The second part consists of an extension to the market, in 1955, after the 1950 earthquake. Since then, the market has been the largest shopping center in the city, generating trade even in the nearby streets.
At first glance, the construction of the market may go unnoticed, but we will tell you that the style with which it was designed responds to a neoclassical one. It is an iron structure with a tin roof of English origin and metal doors with bars. The columns, covered with cement, support the large roof that we can appreciate and are distributed in a rectangular shape, with those in the center of the market being taller and those that go to the sides smaller.
The Central Market of San Pedro has various stalls and sections, among them are:
One of the most visited stalls in the entire market and where you can find a wide variety of fruit-based smoothies in combination with honey or pollen, in addition, you can choose any fruit of your own choice to accompany it. The 'landlady' will always have something to recommend you, so it would be a good idea to consult her beforehand. It's a crime to have passed through here and not tried the delicious lucuma juice. In addition, you have stalls available with the most exotic fruits that you could find in the region: aguaymanto, custard apple, prickly pear, etc. Additionally, there are stalls dedicated exclusively to nuts and sweets. They have the names written very large, so you will not have problems searching. Among them we have: walnuts, piztacho, hazelnut, mixed fruit, blueberries, pecans, Jamaica flower, pumpkin seed, kiwicha flakes, sacha inchi, almonds, spirulina, natural cashew and many others.
You will find the typical dishes of Cuzco, stalls with exotic products brought from the Peruvian Amazon such as herbal tinctures and ointments based on the tallow of certain animals. In addition, and of course, the typical Peruvian dishes will also be present: lomo saltado, causa rellena, ceviche, papa a la huancaína, fried trout, chiri uchu, etc. On the other hand, the soup section is a must, since here you will find the famous 'caldo de gallina'.
There are herbs of all kinds and for every use you can imagine. They are usually sought for use in traditional medicine, which, in this case, is linked to ancestral knowledge.
The increase in tourism has made many sellers reconsider their business and today we can find any variety of handicrafts at the best price. Many visitors make a short stop at the market to pick up a souvenir before boarding the Peru Rail train to Machu Picchu.
We will find textiles made with baby alpaca wool, adult alpaca, llama wool and sheep wool. For craft objects you can find varieties of cups, decorative plates, glasses, vessels and much more. In addition, many stores have products made of leather such as handbags, wallets, belts, etc.
The dairy stall deserves a special mention, as it is popular with locals and visitors, especially cheese lovers. Here we will find a great variety of them and in view of all to be able to choose carefully. As it could not be missing, you will also have available the homemade butters that they prepare in the region.
There are fairs that offer seasonal products and that we cannot let go just like that. For example: at Christmas parties we can find any number of street vendors selling panettone, toys, champagne, wine, grapes, products for Christmas dinner, etc. In times of Corpus Christi a great variety of exotic fruits such as cherimoya, coconuts, sugar cane, etc. is seen.
There are so many stalls in the market that the article would take too long trying to categorize them, but we cannot fail to mention the stores that offer all kinds of groceries and food; The San Pedro market is one of the few in the country where we can find a huge variety of potatoes, cheeses, cocoa, mints, and corn. In addition, we will have the opportunity to prepare ourselves against altitude sickness with a hot coca tea.
Market hours run from 06:30 in the morning until 18:30 when the sun sets. The recommendation is to go at an intermediate time, neither too early nor too late, since several stalls may not open yet or close early.
If you go in cold weather, the recommended thing would be a lamb's head broth, but if you go in sunny season, you can taste a delicious ceviche accompanied by a rich chicha. It is worth mentioning that there are paid and free tours to tour the market, of course the first ones will be more specialized or focused on a theme.
If you want to visit Machu Picchu, we recommend you to book your Machu Picchu Tickets in advance, so you will enjoy your Vacation in Machu Picchu without any problem.
