Traveling around the countryside and markets of Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador, we have had the opportunity to see many of the local people wearing traditional garments. Many of the people are Quechua who are famous for wearing the bowler hats, but you will find people wearing various different styles of hats and garments depending on the area where the people live.
From what we understand, the style of dress of the indigenous people is based on the period of time when the countries were under Spanish control and the people were required to wear European clothes. It has been adapted over time, and some are more colorful than others, but there are similarities across all of them. Although you will find people wearing the traditional outfits in the markets visited by tourists, people wear them in the countryside and are they do not just wear them for the people who visit the country.
When you consider how much time the people spend in the sun in the altitudes of the Andes mountains, there is a lot of practicality to what they wear as well. We try not to offend anyone by taking their pictures, so we try to catch them in candid moments.
