Manca Fiesta in La Quiaca: the Andean Pot Festival and Barter Fair

Manka means pot in Quechua, and pottery is the star of the show. According to La Quiaca's town council, the fair dates back to before the Incas reached the region in the 15th century, and it is one of the trade circuits that still links northern Jujuy with southern Bolivia.

In 2019 Argentina's national Ministry of Culture added it to its list of Jujuy's intangible cultural heritage, at the proposal of the provincial heritage office. It describes the fair as one of the oldest gatherings in the Puna: for several days, hundreds of traders from all over the province and southern Bolivia barter to get what they can't produce at home. You can also simply buy. The province, for its part, recognises it as Living Cultural Heritage.

The fair has changed over time. Barter used to be a way of getting through the year; today it mixes with music, food, sport and tributes. But the swapping, which traders call cambio or cambalache, carries on.

An anthropological study of the fair (Campisi, 2001) maps out where everything comes from:

• Pottery: potters from Casira, on both the Argentine and Bolivian sides, and villages such as Talina, Berqui and Calahoyo bring handmade cooking pots, jugs and storage jars. Greenish-yellow glazed ware comes from Tarija.
• From the Puna: llama and sheep wool, chalona and charqui (dried meat) and fresh meat. Dried meat is the reference currency for many swaps.
• Salt: muleteers once arrived with donkeys loaded with salt blocks from the Salinas Grandes; very few still do.
• From the Bolivian valleys: dried fruit such as peaches, figs, apples and walnuts, flours, puffed corn, peanuts and broad beans.
• From Santa Victoria: many kinds of potato, including freeze-dried chuño.
• Textiles and crafts: wool blankets, socks and sashes, baskets, cane for roofing and wooden utensils.

Swaps follow equivalences that shift with distance and demand, measured on scales, by the piece or by the handful. As one trader put it: if the piece of meat is a good one, you give a lot for it. There are also stalls selling clothes, furniture and everyday goods for cash.

The fair sets up on the grounds that bear its name. Traders arrive on Friday to pitch their stalls and tents; Saturday is the big day, with producers from southern Bolivia and delegations from Santa Catalina, Rinconada, Yavi and other Puna villages. This was the 2026 programme:

• Saturday 17: a school contest recreating the fair of old at 8:30 am, flag-raising in Plaza Centenario at 10 am and the official opening at 10:30, with a blessing of the stalls (chayada) and a ceremony for the Pachamama. In the afternoon, a llama and alpaca show and the first night of the music festival.
• Sunday 18: a book swap, a tribute to La Quiaca's mothers and the second festival night, with the folk band Los Tekis on the bill.
• 19 to 25 October: cultural and trade activities on the grounds, with Monday 19 declared a local day off.

The programme also includes a writers' gathering that moves on to Yavi, a producers' and camelid fair and high-altitude trail and mountain-bike races in early October. All 2026 activities were free.

Worth knowing: Argentina celebrates Mother's Day on the third Sunday of October too, so the fair's Sunday includes family celebrations. The opening blessing is a cousin of the August rituals we describe in our guide to the Pachamama festival in Jujuy.

• Traditional date: the third Sunday of October, with traders staying on for a few days until they sell out.
• 2026: programme from 16 to 25 October, with the opening on Saturday 17 and the second main day on Sunday 18.
• 2027: the third Sunday is 17 October. The main days are expected on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17, with events throughout that week.

La Quiaca's town council usually presents the programme in late September or early October. Before booking, check the official announcement and our Jujuy festivals calendar.

La Quiaca sits at the northern end of National Route 9, about 290 km (180 miles) from San Salvador de Jujuy. The road is paved all the way and runs through the whole Quebrada de Humahuaca, Tres Cruces and Abra Pampa.

• By bus: Balut and Evelia run several departures a day from the San Salvador de Jujuy bus terminal, taking between 4 h 25 min and 5 h 20 min depending on the service. El Quiaqueño, Panamericano and Jama Bus also operate the route, and buses stop in Humahuaca, about 165 km south of La Quiaca.
• By car: fill up before you climb into the Puna and drive in daylight; after dusk the cold and loose livestock on the road make things harder.
• By air: the nearest airport with scheduled flights is San Salvador de Jujuy, served by Aerolíneas Argentinas and JetSMART. See our guide on how to get to Jujuy.

If you want to pop across to Villazón, foreign visitors need their passport; Argentina's immigration office lists the border post as open from 7 am to midnight. To continue to the salt flat, see our route from Jujuy to Uyuni.

La Quiaca is at 3,442 metres. If you come straight up from the provincial capital (1,259 m) or from Buenos Aires, you will very likely feel the altitude, known locally as apunamiento or soroche: headache, fatigue and shortness of breath. Ideally spend one or two nights first in Tilcara or Humahuaca, drink plenty of water, eat light and skip alcohol on the first night. Our Jujuy altitude guide lists the height of every town.

October is spring, but in the Puna that doesn't mean warm. According to Argentina's National Weather Service climate normals (1981–2010), La Quiaca averages:

• October: high 21.1 °C (70 °F) / low 2.8 °C (37 °F), rainfall 16 mm.

The midday sun is fierce and at night the temperature drops close to freezing, often with wind. Pack a warm jacket, hat, gloves, sunscreen, sunglasses and lip balm. The summer rains haven't arrived yet, so dry days and clear skies are the norm.

La Quiaca has few beds and they fill up for the fair, so book early. Options listed on Google and Booking include:

• Hotel de Turismo: the town's classic hotel, at República Árabe Siria and San Martín, close to the border. It hosted some festival events in 2026.
• Munay: a guesthouse with brightly coloured rooms on Calle Belgrano, with parking.
• Hotel Crystal and Hostel Copacabana: central options, the latter popular with backpackers.
• Yavi, about 16 km away: Posada Tika, built in adobe, is a good choice if you prefer a quiet village.

If everything is full, or you'd rather sleep lower, base yourself in Humahuaca and go up for the day: see our guide on where to stay in Humahuaca. You can also compare availability in our Jujuy hotels section.

• Carry cash in Argentine pesos and small notes: many stalls don't take cards and mobile signal can drop.
• If you want to barter, ask what the trader is looking for; if you have nothing to swap, buying is fine too.
• Ask before photographing people and their stalls.
• If you buy a clay pot, have it wrapped well; it's fragile and the trip home is long.
• Eat at the regional food tents and try Puna dishes such as lamb stews and soups.
• Combine the fair with Yavi and its church, or with Laguna de los Pozuelos and its flamingos, both covered in our guide to Yavi, La Quiaca and the Puna.