San Pedro Market

Start the route the way many locals start their day: at San Pedro. Step inside, let the smell of fruit, bread and herbs guide you, and remember to walk slowly. In Cusco, at around 3,400 metres, even a stroll round the market is best done without hurrying.

1Eiffel’s market?

You will often hear that the iron structure is the work of Gustave Eiffel, of Paris tower fame. It is one of the most repeated attributions in the city, but no document backs it up. Studies of the building point instead to a design prepared by the Peruvian engineer Teodoro Elmore after a competition held in 1905. The market opened in 1925 on a plot next to the church of San Pedro.

2A tour of the stalls

• The juice stands, with long counters where they blend Andean and Amazonian fruits for you.
• The bread: look for the big chutas from Oropesa, round flat loaves sold by the piece.
• The food stalls at the back, serving soups and daily dishes at local prices.
• Herbs and ritual items, used in offerings to Pachamama, Mother Earth.

San Pedro is no stage set: it is where local families do their shopping. Ask before photographing the stallholders.

It’s a good moment to try a mate de coca, the coca-leaf tea that Cusco offers newcomers to help them cope with the altitude.

3What to look for

• The pitched iron roof and its columns.
• The church of San Pedro, beside the market.
• The stallholders’ textiles and hats, which sometimes reveal the community they come from.