Handcraft articles belong to the most frequent souvenirs, brought home from an Ecuador travel. The long list contains practical and cheap wool pullovers from Otavalo, colorful balsa wood birds, fine straw hats and hand-tongued hammocks and as well pompous model corsair of black coral. The exclusivity and the condition of the used material (wood, ceramic, stone, metal, natural fiber, man-made fiber, etc.), the amount of work, the quality and the originality define the heavily fluctuating prices of the unmanageable flood of handcraft products. With the constant rush of tourism, also the demand for popular souvenirs arose. Throughout the country, this industry safes the subsistence of many “artesanos”, their families and their employees.

The following list gives a small review over the Ecuadorian market of popular art, that is determined for the export:

Atacames (Esmeraldas): Jewelry of black coral. But people are advised, because of ecological reasons, not to buy the coral because it is in danger of extinction.

Baños (Tungurahua): Figurines and other stuff of Tagua, a „vegetable ivory“. Also balsa wood and religious kitsch.

Calderón (Pichincha): Figurines of dough of bred.
Chone / Flavio Alfaro (Manabí): saddles, tack, halters for machetes.
Cotacachi (Imbabura): Biggest offer of leather products in the country: Jackets, vests, trousers, skirts, bags, shoes, belts, money bags, saddles, knife edges and halters for machetes.
Cuenca : Most handcraft shops are around the Calle Gran Colombia: Gold jewelry, weaving products, basketry, very nice straw hats, as well as fedoras from Gualaceo (borsalinos), wrought iron and ceramics from Chordeleg and marmoreal ashtrays from Sinincay.
Gonzanamá (Loja): Wool textiles.
Guano (Chimborazo): Indian sheep wool carpets.
Guayaquil : Red and black coral (Don't buy it!), ceramics and self-made tropical cottages.

La Pila (Manabí): Ceramic mugs, imitations of pre-Colombian figurines.
Montechristi (Manabí): The prettiest panama hats in the world and as well furniture.

Otavalo (Imbabura): Main attraction is the traditional Saturday market with the Plaza de Ponchos in the center: Pullovers of lama wool, tapestries, blankets, jackets, ponchos, bags, hats, hammocks, jewelry, chess, bamboo flutes and a thousand of other useful things, as well as antiquity of all sorts.

Pujilí (Cotopaxi) : Ceramic, ceremonial masks of wood, naive painting.
Puyo (Pastaza) : Shigras (Net bags of the fiber of the Chambira palm), hammocks of nature fiber, colorful balsa wood birds, ceramic bowls and seating furniture.
Quito : Some of the most exclusive handcraft shops of the country are in Quito. See below "Quito / Artesanía". Also: Weekend- picture market at the Park Ejído, Avenida Patria.
Riobamba (Chimborazo) : Figurines of Tagua and Shigras.
Salasaca (Tungurahua): Carpets of sheep wool in Tibetan style.
San Antonio de Ibarra (Imbabura) : Wood carving in all sizes.
Saraguro (Loja) : Wool hats, strengthened with corn, ponchos, “tupos” (brooches).
Tigua (Cotopaxi) : Naive indigenous paintings on sheep skin. The attractive, active colors represent mostly scenes of the everyday peasant lives. Some paintings do have a great artistic valor and a few artists became famous with this kind of painting.
Zuleta (Imbabura) : Very nice embroidery.