By Paul G.
If you’ve been to Machu Picchu, or you’re planning to go, you probably want to bring something home that means something. Not a magnet from the airport. Something real.
And if you haven’t been to Peru, but you want to give a Peruvian gift to someone who has, or who’s been dreaming about going, this list is for you too. Especially around Christmas. These pieces work as holiday gifts because they carry a story, not just a price tag.
I’m Paul, originally from Peru. Here are the 9 best souvenirs you can bring home from Machu Picchu or buy online and have shipped to you anywhere in the world. Some of these we make and sell on this site. Some of them you’d have to find in a market in Cusco. I tell you which is which.
1. Hand-carved Machu Picchu model statue
This is the most direct souvenir you can buy. It’s literally a small version of Machu Picchu, hand-carved and hand-painted by a Peruvian artisan. The detail on a good one is wild. The terraces, the stone walls, the layout of the citadel, all captured at a fraction of the size.
It’s also the most lasting one. You put it on a shelf or a mantel, and every time you look at it you’re back at Machu Picchu in your head. Great as a gift for someone who’s been, someone planning to go, or someone who collects this kind of thing.
Buy it from us: Handmade Machu Picchu Model Ornament. Hand-carved in Peru, ships worldwide.
What to know:
- Most direct visual reminder of Machu Picchu
- Handmade in Peru by local artisans
- Lasts decades if you take care of it
- A little heavy. Not great as carry-on if you’re flying back from Peru, easier to order online and have it shipped
2. Hand-carved bull horn smoking pipes
Bull horn craftsmanship is one of the oldest traditional Peruvian crafts. Before the Spanish brought cattle, indigenous artisans worked with condor bone and other natural materials. Once cattle arrived, bovine horn became the main material, and the technique never really stopped.
Today, hand-carved bull horn pipes are popular with collectors, gift-givers, and anyone into rustic or sustainable pieces. Each horn is shaped differently, so every pipe is one of a kind. Naturally polished, eco-friendly, biodegradable, ethically sourced. The good ones are beautiful.
Buy it from us: Bull Horn Handmade Smoking Pipe. Made in Peru, ships worldwide.
What to know:
- One of a kind by design (every horn is unique)
- Made by Peruvian artisans, ethically sourced
- Easy to ship and transport
- Some countries (UK, Australia, NZ) may require a customs declaration for natural materials
3. Hand-carved leather goods from Cusco
Walk through any market in Cusco and you’ll see leather workshops. Bags. Belts. Pouches. Wallets. The leather is local and the tooling is done by hand, often with traditional Andean motifs carved right into the surface: llamas, geometric patterns, people. Many pieces also have a panel of handwoven Andean textile sewn into the front for color.
This was Peruvian leather craft long before any chain store sold a “boho-style” version of it. The real thing has weight to it. The carving is deep. The textile is hand-loomed, not printed.
Buy from us: Hand-carved Leather Crossbody Bag (Medium) or the Small version. Made in Cusco, ships worldwide.
What to know:
- Every piece is hand-tooled, so each one is slightly different
- Real Cusco leather, not imitation
- Compact and easy to travel with
- Great as a gift because each piece is one of a kind
4. Alpaca wool sweaters, scarves, and blankets
Alpaca wool is one of the things Peru is most famous for, globally. Alpacas, llamas, and vicuña all produce wool that’s woven into textiles up in the highlands. Baby alpaca wool especially is soft, warm, and surprisingly light. Walk through any market near Machu Picchu and you’ll see sweaters, scarves, ponchos, blankets, gloves, in every color of the Andes.
The best alpaca pieces are heirloom-quality. They’ll last decades if you take care of them. They’re also a great Christmas gift because they’re warm and they’re personal. A real alpaca scarf is a different thing from a generic store-bought one.
What to know:
- Real alpaca is soft, warm, and lightweight
- Lots of color and pattern options, all traditional
- Easy to fit in a suitcase
- Watch out: a lot of “alpaca” sold to tourists is blended with synthetic. Check labels and buy from a real artisan stall, not a mass-produced shop
- Hand wash only. Not for the washing machine
5. Peruvian chullo (knit hat with earflaps)
The chullo is the iconic Peruvian hat. Knit, with earflaps that tie under the chin (or hang loose), made from alpaca wool. They originate in the Andean highlands where it gets really cold, so the design is actually functional, not just stylistic. The flaps cover your ears. The wool keeps your head warm. Simple, brilliant.
Today chullos come in every color and pattern you can imagine, and they’re inexpensive enough to buy a few for friends. Great souvenir, great Christmas gift, super easy to pack.
What to know:
- One of the most recognizable Peruvian items
- Easy to pack, makes a good travel gift
- Cheap, often $10-25 at a Cusco market
- Same caveat as alpaca: make sure it’s the real wool, not synthetic
6. Andean panpipes (zampoña or siku)
If you’ve heard music from the Andes, you’ve heard a zampoña (also called a siku). It’s the pan flute that gives Andean music its distinctive sound. Traditionally carved from condor bone, today they’re mostly made from bamboo. They come in different sizes, which gives them different pitches, and there’s a whole musical tradition around how they’re played.
Originally from the Aymara cultures around Lake Titicaca. So technically not specific to Machu Picchu, but they’re sold everywhere in the region and they’re an authentic piece of Andean culture. Good gift for music lovers.
What to know:
- Sounds like the Andes the second you blow into it
- Very portable
- Affordable, usually $15-40 in a market
- Hypoallergenic (bamboo)
- Not specifically tied to Machu Picchu or Inca culture
7. Andean rústicas dolls
Rústicas are traditional Andean dolls. Long rectangular bodies, embroidered faces, dressed in tiny versions of traditional Peruvian clothing: skirts, shawls, ponchos, sometimes a tiny chullo. They’re descended from ancient Chancay dolls, which archaeologists have found across the Peruvian coast going back over 1,000 years.
Each village makes them slightly differently. The fabric, the embroidery patterns, the accessories. They’re charming, they’re authentic, and they make a great gift for kids or for anyone who collects dolls or folk art.
What to know:
- Centuries-old craft tradition in Peru
- Each one a little different
- Lightweight and easy to pack
- Cheap, $5-20 in a market
- Not machine washable
8. Ekeko doll (god of prosperity)
This one’s fun. The Ekeko is the Tiwanaku god of prosperity and abundance, worshipped on the Peru-Bolivia border for over 1,000 years. The doll is a small clay figure of a mustachioed man dressed in traditional Peruvian clothing (poncho, knit hat) with bags and baskets covering his body, sometimes stuffed with miniature goods like food, money, or tiny tools.
Each item the Ekeko carries represents something you wish for. Bag of grain for a good harvest. A tiny truck for a vehicle. A coin for money. Some versions even come with a hole in the mouth where you can put a tiny cigarette, because tradition says the Ekeko likes to smoke.
It’s a culturally significant gift if you want to give someone something unusual. Tell them they need to display it in a place of honor for it to bring prosperity, which is part of the fun.
What to know:
- Genuinely meaningful piece of Andean folk religion
- Easy to find in any market across Peru and Bolivia
- Affordable
- Made from clay, can break in transit (pack carefully)
- Not specifically tied to Machu Picchu
9. Torito de Pucara (clay bull figurines)
If you visit Cusco and look up at the rooftops of traditional houses, you’ll often see two small clay bulls on top. Those are Toritos de Pucara. They come from a small town between Cuzco and Puno called Pucara, and they’re a symbol of strength, protection, and prosperity in Peruvian folk culture.
The bull as a symbol came after Spanish colonization (cattle weren’t here before), but the meaning got adopted into Andean culture pretty quickly. Today Toritos are everywhere. On rooftops. In gift shops. In homes for newlyweds (they symbolize fertility and good marriage).
And they come in colors, each with its own meaning:
- Red: love and protection
- Orange: joy
- Yellow: energy and good luck
- Green: prosperity, fertility, good health
- Blue: friendship and confidence
- Black: protection against envy
- White: peace
- Unpainted: family protection
So you can pick a Torito for the meaning that fits the person you’re giving it to. Great gift, genuinely Peruvian, very culturally rich.
What to know:
- Made by Peruvian artisans
- Lots of colors, each meaningful
- Cheap, $5-20
- Delicate clay, pack carefully
- Not specifically tied to Machu Picchu
Bonus: Hand-carved bull horn flask
One more I have to mention because it’s one of our newer pieces and it’s a great gift. A bull horn flask is hand-carved from genuine bovine horn, polished smooth, then finished with leather accents and decorative metal studs. Holds 6 fluid ounces. Embossed with cultural designs from Peru’s bullfighting tradition.
It works as a serving piece (for mead, beer, spirits), as a display piece, or just as a conversation starter that nobody else has. Hunters, outdoors people, Western collectors, history buffs all tend to love it.
Buy from us: Handmade Bull Horn Flask (Tierra Taurina). Made in Peru, ships worldwide.
Looking for the right Peruvian Christmas gift?
Most of the pieces on this list make great Christmas gifts. The ones we sell are in our Christmas Gifts collection. Hand-carved leather, Machu Picchu sculptures, bull horn crafts. All handmade in Peru by Cusco artisans.
And if you want the full picture of how Peruvians actually celebrate Christmas (food, decorations, music, traditions), read our complete guide to Peruvian Christmas.
How to pick the right one
If you want something that’s directly tied to Machu Picchu, go with the model statue. Nothing else captures the site itself.
If you want something that’s uniquely Peruvian and one of a kind, go with a bull horn piece or a hand-carved leather bag. Every single one is different because every piece of horn or leather is different.
If you want something traditional and culturally significant, go with a chullo, an alpaca wool item, or a Torito de Pucara.
If you want something that’s weird, fun, and a great story, the Ekeko doll is unmatched.
Whatever you pick, the best souvenirs from Peru are the ones made by real artisans, not factories. That’s what we’re about over here at Crafted in Peru. Real Peruvian craft, made by hand, shipped directly to your door.
Safe travels and Feliz Navidad.