When it’s time to leave Chile, chances are you won’t want to! Picking up a few traditional souvenirs won’t make leaving any easier, but it will give you some nice reminders of your time in Chile and perhaps help to ease the culture shock of returning home. Don’t forget to pick up some small gifts for your friends and family back home too.
Here are a few of the most popular Chilean souvenirs.
Textiles
Blankets, mittens, socks, ponchos, and hats knitted from alpaca or sheep wool can be found throughout Chile and make a great souvenir.
Baskets
If you’re fascinated by indigenous culture, consider buying one of the fine baskets woven by the Mapuche people. Most baskets are made from willow, which involves a four-month-long process of cutting, soaking, and splitting the wood before the weaving can even begin. Small boxes woven from straw are also quite common.
Wood Products
In the Atacama region, local people carve all sorts of objects from cactus wood. You can find practical items like plates and utensils, as well as decorative carvings of animals and little people called “picarones” that give you a shocking eyeful when you pick them up. Small flutes carved from bamboo are also sold as souvenirs.
Cowboy Stuff
Chilean cowboys are known as “huasos”, and some of their equipment makes good souvenirs. For example, you can get fancy spurs or traditional carved wooden stirrups to hang on your wall at home. Straw hats, striped wool ponchos, and leather bags are also good cowboy souvenirs.
Jewelry
With souvenir jewelry, you can carry a bit of Chile with you everywhere you go. Most items will be made of silver, decorated with locally mined stones like lapis lazuli or combarbalita.
If you’re in Santiago, the Cerro Santa Lucia market is a great place to find craft souvenirs. Be sure to ask the vendors where the crafts are made though, because some items may be imported from Ecuador or Peru.