La Feria

Hermana Mason strolling through the neighborhood feria. Today we bought plums, pears, apples, grapes, and tomatoes.

The feria (pronounced “fair-e-a”) or open market is a fun shopping activity to buy fruits and vegetables. It is held each morning in a different area of the city, and each day moves from area to area – Wednesdays in Manzanal (south Rancagua near where we go to church), Fridays in Cachapol (central Rancagua near the mission office), Saturdays in Villa el Sol (northeast part of Rancagua), etc. Shoppers (mostly women) roll their small wire carts from stall-to-stall, inspect, and select produce for their week’s meals. Prices are incredibly low. The fruits and vegetables come directly from the local farms and are sold by feria vendors.

Produce arrives by truck or horse cart.

Squash for sale by the slice for 200 pesos (about 60 cents per kilo). Sanitation is not a big concern here – notice the saw to cut off a slice of squash. We soak everything that we buy in a mild Clorox solution, then rinse - and have never gotten ill (so far).

A weathered Chilean woman selling beans.