Peru stands out among other tourist destinations for the variety and quality of the items tourists love to bring home after a visit to Machu Picchu. With a wide selection of handmade textiles, unique food items, and trinkets of all kinds, it can be difficult for tourists in Peru to sort the worthwhile buys from regrettable purchases. In the space below, I've complied my thoughts on the way to maximize your budget and find unique items during a stay in Cusco and the surrounding areas.
The most distinctive and iconic souvenir items in Peru fall in the textile category, and this is because local communities have developed specialized methods to produce clothes and household items that can't be found outside of the Andean region. Although the quality of craftsmanship and material can vary from item to item, local textiles can hold value whether they're a unique handmade poncho or a synthetic sweater from a street market.
The gold standard of textile materials in Peru is vicuña wool, an incomparably soft fiber which is harvested from undomesticated vicuñas in the Andes mountains. These animals are the rarest of Peruvian camelid species and they produce very little wool in their lifetime, which makes vicuña textiles a highly sought-after product for specialty clothing brands and tourists alike. The next most valuable Peruvian textile material is baby alpaca wool, which comes from the first shear of an alpaca around four years after they're born. This wool has a characteristic soft texture with a higher quality than the wool from alpacas that have been sheared multiple times. When searching for good alternative to alpaca fiber, I would recommend is lamb's wool, since these products have similar textures and can be used interchangeably in high-quality sweaters, socks, hats, and other items. Finally, cotton and synthetic fibers are commonly found among street vendors who offer items from the same pool of clothes that usually lack the unique craftsmanship and cultural value of handmade items.
During my time in Peru, I've bought a quarter-zip sweater made from baby alpaca and a cheap cotton sweater with a generic pattern, and both these items are valuable in their own way. Even though the cotton sweater can be bought at nearly any clothing stand in Cusco, a good price and a good design can easily justify purchasing clothes that don't have the same quality as a one-of-a-kind piece that took months to craft.
Do's and Don'ts of tourist shopping in Peru: (this is just my opinion!!)
Do invest in a handmade item or clothing made from alpaca/lamb's wool. These items don't have to be exceedingly expensive if you negotiate with local vendors (this essential to get a fair price on expensive handmade items, and local communities expect customers to bargain when items cost hundreds of soles). These items hold considerable value because they're unique and will last a long time.
Do shop for local food and candy that can't be found elsewhere. Coca candies, specialty chocolates, local salt, organic coffee beans, and Peruvian spices are great products to bring back to the states. This includes Pisco as well.
Do browse tee shirts that showcase local brands and artwork. They can be found for as little as five dollars and make a budget-friendly gifts for friends and relatives back home.
Don't buy clothing items from specialty alpaca boutiques in Cusco that have no personality or defining features. In my opinion, plain sweaters made from alpaca don't carry the same cultural and aesthetic value as unique pieces from smaller villages. These items also tend to be overpriced without the possibility of negotiation.
Don't shop for synthetic ponchos, especially if they have obnoxious patterns that aren't representative of Andean traditions. Although they may be comfortable, they're an eyesore in any context - there are better ways to engage with the local culture in Cusco
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