South and Central America

Chichicastenango Marketplace, Chichicastenango, Guatemala

This colorful market near the Church of Santo Tomás is open on Thursdays and Sundays and filled with stalls selling pottery, leather goods, masks, textiles, and jewelry. Look for human and animal-face masks, made from white pine, cedar, or palo de pito wood, which are used in traditional Guatemalan dances.

Feira de Artesanato de Ipanema (Hippie Fair), Ipanema, Brazil

Head to Ipanema's Parque General Osório to browse stands filled with handicrafts, silver jewelry, handwoven grass baskets, paintings, and suede. Take a break and try exotic fruits like acai or conde. Closed Sunday.

Feria de San Pedro Telmo, Buenos Aires, Argentina

This very lively Sunday market in Plaza Dorrego sells antiques, handicrafts, and tango memorabilia amid live performances by musicians and tango dancers. In the evening the square turns into a milonga, a tango dance party.

Mercado Central, Guatemala City, Guatemala

Located in the central square of Guatemala City, the Plaza Mayor de la Constitución Market, formerly called Parque Central, is home to a lively market filled with handcraft vendors, street performers, and hundreds of market stalls. Look for intricately woven huipiles (blouses) from all regions of the country.

Otavalo Market, Otavalo, Ecuador

Comprised of produce, animal, and artisan markets, this year-round marketplace in Plaza de Ponchos is a good place to barter for embroidered shirts, carved wooden parrots, textiles, and authentic ceramics. Open every day, but go Saturday for the best shopping, when hundreds of vendors line the streets.

Praça da Liberdade Market, São Paulo, Brazil

This Sunday oriental market is located in the Japanese neighborhood of Liberdade, one of the oldest neighborhoods in São Paulo, offering authentic Asian foods, crafts, and exotic gifts.

Sololá Market, Solola, Guatemala

Sololá's townspeople gather every Friday for market day dressed in traditional outfits for this indigenous market and the exchange of fruits, vegetables, and meats.

Witches' Market, La Paz, Bolivia

Located on Calle Linares, vendors sell llama fetuses and dried frogs for Aymara rituals, as well as soapstone figurines and aphrodisiac formulas in the market known as Mercado de las Brujas. This street is the best place to pick up a charango (small stringed instrument) or other Bolivian musical instruments.