Trip to Pisco Elqui....part 4

We made our way back towards La Serena with a couple of more stops along the way.  This is a tiny little pueblo that is called Montegrande.  I thought that this red brick church was very picturesque.

At the plaza with the red brick church the sellers were particularly "organic".  A lot of people are drawn to this area because of its wholistic and healing qualities that are thought to be found here.  We had to get a picture of this guy with his big dred locks making jewelery to sell in the plaza.

There was quite a varied collection of things for sale.  This particular vendor was selling dried gourds.

At our next stop, we came to a big artisanal feria in the town of Paihuano.

As part of the festivities, this man was offering horse rides to people for a small price.

In the main square, they were selling food and crafts.  This woman is grilling goat cheese.  The cheese is hard and dense enough that it doesn't melt too much and can be grilled like this.

We had tried goat cheese before here in Chile and didn't care for it too much.  We thought it would be worth another shot.  The first taste was alright, but then I remembered why I didn't like it.  The aftertaste reminds me of stinky, old goat...not that I have ever tasted a stinky, old goat.  You know what I mean.

There also was a Queca dance contest up on the stage.

The kids could also play carnival games.  These games were great.  Tins cans painted in various colors were stacked and you could knock them down to win a prize.

Here is the band that was playing music for the Queca dancers.

One vendor was selling all you would need to dress as a Chilean cowboy.  His items were awesome.  We figured that if we were to buy a full outfit, it would run us about $500.  These spurs were particularly cool.  They were hand made.  One of the larger ones sold for over $100.

A Chilean cowboy is called a Huaso.

According to Wikipedia:

Huasos (plural) are generally found in Chile's central valley. They ride horses and typically wear a straw hat called a chupalla. They also wear a poncho—called a manta or a chamanto (although this was originally reserved to land owners, as it is much more expensive)—over a short Andalusian waist jacket, as well as tooled leather legging over booties with raw hide leather spur holders that sustain a long-shanked spur with 4-inch rowels, and many other typical garments.

Huasos are an important part of Chilean folkloric culture and are a vital part of parades, fiestas, and holidays. The dancing of the cueca in which the coy china is courted by the persistent huaso, both traditionally attired, is de rigueur on such occasions.

It is nice to see the Chilenos proud of their heritage.  We have seen people dressed in this tradition style on many occcations.