If you only know two words in Spanish when you come to Cusco, "no, gracias" should be at the top of your list. That is because in the main plaza (Plaza des Armas) and up and down the side streets, you will be approached by a variety of people selling local wares and services - from knitted alpaca hats and scarves to paintings and massages (for the most part legit, I'm told) to the opportunity to have your shoes, boots, or even sandals shined. If you even look remotely interested, the vendor will be on you in an instant to negotiate a sale.
Besides the traditional sales people, there is the man dressed as Incan royalty who hangs out where the tourists come to see real Incan stonework. He will charge you to have his photo taken alone or with someone in your group wearing a second Incan headress. He also serves a useful policing purpose in reminding folks not to touch the ancient stonewall. Then there are the two young girls in traditional Peruvian dress carrying adorable lambs also in brightly colored hats who are vying for a place - for a small fee, a sol or two - in your photo memories as is the older woman - also in indigenous garb - who strolls the side streets with her llama.
Down many side streets and alleyways are stall after stall crammed with Peruvian textiles, knitted ware, and sometimes a few shamanic trinkets. The local people rent these cramped booths on a monthly basis but purchase their huge inventory. The vast majority expect to bargain with you. Don't make eye contact and definitely don't pick up any item unless you have some degree of interest in possibly - if the price is right - purchasing it.
It used to be even 3-4 years ago that children would be in the Plaza during the day selling finger puppets and offering shoe shines. Many of them were quite talented - with an uncanny ability to pick out Americans and then regale them by naming all the US Presidents in order - backwards - without missing a beat. Families would often send their children to the Plaza rather than to school because of the much needed money they could bring in each day. That practice has apparently been outlawed, so there is a greater incentive now for children to attend school.
A few blocks off the Plaza is the Central Market, a huge partially indoor but also spilling out onto the adjacent sidewalks, marketplace. This is where a small number of tourists dare to come (keep your hands on your wallet, your money belt inside your shirt or pants, and your daypack under your arm) and where indigenous Peruvians shop. The Central Market has everything. Not only are there the ubiquitous textiles, hats, socks, and gloves, but there is all manner of food - fresh herbs, fruits, vegetables, bread, cheese, not to mention soups and all manner of fruit drinks. There is also a large meat section, though I am not sure that the typical American digestive bacteria could handle the lack of refrigeration and not so sterile knives used in cutting up the hanging carcasses. And of course there are a number of the 3000 varieties of potatoes grown in the Andes ,primarily in Peru.
A very interesting economy emerges in the stalls and in the market. Vendors watch out for one another. Prices are pretty much the same wherever you go, and nobody goes out of his or her way to undercut anyone else. One vendor will go to another vendor to make change. If a vendor is asleep, a fellow vendor will awaken them rather than try to lure you away. If a vendor is taking a break, someone will try to find him or her. There is a refreshing sense of community and sharing what is available for the good of all.
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