La Cancha

Cochabamba


Sprawling, chaotic and claustrophobic, Cochabamba's main market, while lacking an attractive mise-en-scène, is nevertheless a colorful place to wander. The largest and most accessible area is Mercado Cancha Calatayud, which spreads across a wide area along Av Aroma and south toward the former railway station. It's your best opportunity to see local dress, which differs strikingly from that of the altiplano.

The Mercado de Ferias spills out around the old railway station. Artesanías (stores selling locally handcrafted items) are concentrated along the alleys near the junction of Tarata and Arce, at the southern end of the market area. The fruit and vegetable section is on the shore of Laguna Alalay in the southeast of town.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Cochabamba attractions

1. Museo Arqueológico de la UMSS

0.41 MILES

The Museo Arqueológico provides an excellent overview of Bolivia’s various indigenous cultures. The collection is split into three sections: the…

2. Catedral Metropolitana

0.43 MILES

On the arcaded Plaza 14 de Septiembre, Cochabamba's cathedral is the valley’s oldest religious building, begun in 1542 as a tiny stone-and-adobe structure…

3. Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco

0.49 MILES

Constructed in 1581, the Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco is Cochabamba’s second-oldest church. However, major revisions and renovations occurred in…

4. Iglesia de Santo Domingo

0.49 MILES

This rococo church was founded in 1612, but construction didn’t begin until 1778. Its intriguing main facade is made of stone, with anthropomorphic…

5. Templo Santa Clara

0.57 MILES

This church and its accompanying convent of the same name were built in the early 20th century in an unadorned Gothic style.

6. Convento de Santa Teresa

0.74 MILES

The noble, timeworn Convento de Santa Teresa is straight out of a Gabriel García Márquez novel. Guided tours (around 45 minutes) of this gracefully…

7. Iglesia del Hospicio

0.75 MILES

This church, built in 1875, combines neoclassical, baroque and Byzantine elements.

8. Iglesia de la Recoleta

1.47 MILES

North of the river, the baroque Iglesia de la Recoleta (construction began in 1654) houses the attractive wooden Cristo de la Recoleta.

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "bolivia/the-southwest/cochabamba/attractions/la-cancha/a/poi-sig/1325139/1316004",
      "destination": "Cochabamba",
      "continent": "South-America",
      "country": "Bolivia",
      "city": "Cochabamba",
      "position": "superzone"
    }