Introduction
Imbabura, north of Quito in Ecuador's northern highlands, is built around Otavalo — one of South America's oldest continuously operating Indigenous markets — set among a landscape of volcanic crater lakes that gives the province its nickname, the “Lake District.”
Overview
Otavalo's Saturday market is the province's centrepiece, and its real distinction isn't scale but continuity: Kichwa-speaking weavers have traded textiles in the same plaza for centuries, a living market tradition rather than a revival staged for visitors. Woven goods — ponchos, tapestries, bags, blankets — dominate, alongside leather goods, jewellery and produce, and the town itself, not just the market, has a genuinely Indigenous character with Kichwa widely spoken on the street. Beyond Otavalo, Imbabura earns its “Lake District” nickname from a string of volcanic crater lakes: Laguna de San Pablo, overlooked by the Imbabura volcano, is the largest and most accessible, popular for a lakeside walk or a short boat trip; Laguna Cuicocha, inside a dormant volcanic caldera further north, has a genuinely striking setting with two small islands rising from its crater waters, and a rim-top hiking trail circling the whole lake. Cotacachi, a smaller town near Cuicocha, is known nationally for leather goods and makes an easy stop on the same day trip.
Discover Imbabura
Otavalo's market runs daily in a smaller form but reaches its full scale on Saturdays, when the main Plaza de los Ponchos and surrounding streets fill with textile stalls run largely by Kichwa vendors continuing a trading tradition that predates the Inca. Bargaining is normal and expected, though the market's real value for a visitor is less about the lowest price and more about the chance to buy directly from the weavers and artisans who made the goods, in a market that has never stopped functioning as a genuine commercial and social hub for the surrounding Kichwa communities.
Ways to Experience This Destination
South America's oldest continuously operating Indigenous market, strongest on Saturdays.
Laguna Cuicocha's caldera rim trail and Laguna de San Pablo's calmer lakeside walks and boat trips.
Frequently asked questions
This overview comes from Visaja's worldwide missions database (visaja.com), checked against official government sources; for binding answers, the mission itself always has the final word.