Catacaos

Catacaos is a small town 12 kilometres south of Piura that is famous across northern Peru for its craftspeople. The main street is lined with stalls selling gold and silver filigree jewellery, straw hats (similar to Panama hats and just as finely woven), ceramics, and embroidered textiles — all produced locally. Prices are considerably lower than in Lima shops and the quality is high.

The town is also worth visiting for its food. The market restaurants serve picarones (sweet potato doughnuts in molasses syrup), ceviche, and the local specialty seco de cabrito (slow-cooked goat with coriander and beer). Take a combi from central Piura; the journey takes about 20 minutes. Saturday mornings are the most animated, when the market expands into the surrounding streets.

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Catacaos is also known for its chicha de jora — a fermented maize beer with pre-Columbian roots. The traditional chicharras (chicha bars) in the village are often identified by a red or white flag hung outside the door, a custom that dates back centuries. The chicha here is made fresh daily and tastes nothing like the commercial versions sold in Lima.