Around 20 kms from Riobamba is the colourful Colta Market. Each Sunday the streets of Cajabamba and Sicalpa are filled with reds, blues, purples, whites, blacks, ponchos, cloths, necklaces, belts, hats, people coming and going, some jovially, others quietly. Thousands of indigenous people meet in the Villa la Union Plazas, the main centre of Colta to enjoy trading and socialising.
This market is not only the place to buy and sell agricultural produce, clothing, utensils and handicrafts, but also a fundamental meeting point for friends and heads of communities, for romantic encounters and flirting among the young and old alike.
The indigenous people of Colta have come to this market for many centuries. It is thought to be a cultural tradition that dates back to the time of the ancient capital of the Puruháes.