Souvenir Shopping Guide: 14 Made-in-Chile Goods to Bring Home from Santiago

If you are going dance cueca, the national dance of Chile, you must be dressed appropriately. You will need a razor sharp straw hat, a colorful poncho, and a stylish huaso jacket. The black knee-high boots with spurs are also part of the equation. On top of that, the full kit includes traditional huaso riding saddle and a horse. And surely, no cowboy is complete with out a cowgirl, in Chile she is called “Huasa.” The huasa must be dressed in a colorful traditional country dress with ruffles. A basic Huaso outfit starts at about $100 USD. Huasa dresses start at $30 USD.

Alpaca is a very fine and soft wool that comes from a smaller relative of the Chilean lama, bred specifically for its fleece. Lama (pronounced in Spanish as "Ya-Ma") is known for being stubborn and also for its ability to spit. The fickle alpaca’s fleece is well adapted to the cold Chilean Andes mountainous climate. Alpaca wool is traditionally used in colorful scarves, ponchos and jackets. The soft Aplaca clothing quickly earned reputation as a favorite winter apparel for locals and visitors alike. Scarves start at $4 USD, Colorful jackets are around $40 to $60 USD, and traditional ponchos start at $50 USD.

A nice gift to bring back from Chile can also be trays and kitchenware decorated with thinly sliced and preserved fruits and flowers, which give a unique artistic touch to everyday kitchenware. Oranges, kiwis, lemons, cherries, mushrooms and tomatoes are just some of the fruits and vegetables used in this farm-fresh art form. The latter includes everything, from trays, napkin holders, coasters to bottle holders and even earrings made with real fruit slices! Expect to pay from $10 to $60 USD for trays and most of the art work. A nicely decorated Pisco sour pitcher and matching Pisco glasses sell for about $130 USD.

With over 90 wineries, Chile is the 5th largest exporter of wine in the world. The secret to the rise and quality of Chilean wines is the Carménère grape. Thought to be extinct from disease in Europe for over 150 years, it was rediscovered thriving in Chile. Carménère is the deepest, darkest, and purplest of all red grapes, with similar characteristics to Merlot. Initially, it grew as Merlot until was officially recognized in 1998. While Chile produces all the popular varieties of wine - Pinot noir, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc - Carménère is truly a Chilean wine. Very nice Chilean wines are available for $10 to $20 USD per bottle. If you want a premium or prize winning wine, prices start at $200 USD per bottle.

The lapis stone is considered the master of light. It is the stone of wisdom, friendship, truth, integrity and lighting. Lapis builds relationships of love and friendship, and helps express feelings and emotions. In the Middle East, lapis was even thought to have magical powers. Countless signet rings, scarabs and figures were shaped from the deep blue stone which Alexander the Great brought to Europe. There, the color was referred to as 'ultramarine', which means 'from beyond the sea'. This opaque, deep blue Chilean gemstone has been used by ancient Latin American civilizations for at least 3500 years. Presently, in Chile, it is the national stone. Lapis lazuli is used in key rings, Moai statues, necklaces, earrings and cufflinks. Prices for lapis lazuli depend on the cut and quality of the stone itself and whether it's being used with silver or other precious metals.

Easter Island is the remotest inhabited place on Earth, and it has been part of the Chilean heritage since 1888. The Moai represent ancestral chiefs who were believed to be descended directly from gods and whose supernatural powers could be harnessed for the benefit of humanity. The massive stone figures were generally erected facing inland to keep watch over the local community. The Moai are characterized by long sloping noses, strong brows, deeply inset eyes, and prominent chins. Some figures also wear a hat-like cylinder made of red stone on their heads. While the original moai are made from volcanic rock, gift moais’ are made from copper, wood, lapis lazuli and many other beautiful stones. Key-rings with Moai figurines start around $2 USD. If contemplating a life-size Moai statue, be careful with your weight limit while traveling, original Moai’s weight over 10 metric tons.

The atomic number for copper is 29, however in Chile, copper is number one. Being the country's major export, copper affects every facet of the Chilean economy. With a long history of mining copper, Chilean craftsmen traditionally have made copper art and jewelry for generations, hence the variety of high quality and affordable copper items, such as rings, wind chimes, necklaces, earrings, murals, coasters, statues, key rings, bracelets and even masks on offer. Prices start at about $2 and upwards, depending on the size and quality of the artwork.

The indigenous Mapuche Indians were nomads who needed quality rugs, ponchos and clothing to face the cold Chilean winters. Renowned for their complex textures and patterns, Mapuche fabrics have been in use since as early as the 1300s. It is even part of the Mapuche tradition to increase the amount of the dowry paid by a man, if a woman was a good weaver. The Mapuche women transmitted their knowledge orally from generation to generation for many years. The colorful designs and symbols found in Mapuche fabrics pay tribute to the culture and traditions of these people. Well designed colorful ponchos and rugs start at $30 USD.

Among the things Chile is famous for, handcrafted leather goods aren't the last. These days, in Santiago it seems like everyone has been wearing leather shoes, judging by the number of shoe shine stands scattered all over the city. This may be unwelcome news for someone with the more traditional views, but leather isn’t just for shoes and wallets anymore. You can find leather wine holders, leather backpacks, leather cooking aprons and even leather coasters. In fact, leather can provide added touch of elegance to anything. Hand-made leather crafts always make for treasured gifts which are both durable and practical. The variety of premium leather items that can be found in Santiago is truly magnificent and includes briefcases, purses, belts, jackets, wallets, computer bags, gloves, hats, pants, even leather jewelry holders. You can find leather at very attractive prices, but bear in mind that prices depend on the quality and size of the leather goods in question. If you want the best price available, get rid of that touristy look on your face and always ask if they can offer a better price.

These traditional masks represent the native Ona or Mapucho people who once lived in the southern part of Chile. The Ona people were famous for their black and white body paint and scant clothing. Barefoot, they used to walk among the penguins in Southern America's southernmost tip - the Tierra del Fuego islands, the area in which they settled over 10,000 years ago. Their extinction was caused by western settlement in the late 1800s. Because of their location, the Ona tribe turned out to be the last indigenous people on the American continent to be colonized by Europeans. Detailed accounts of their customs and ceremonies are well documented. The last full-blooded Ona tribe member died in the 1970s. Their traditional masks, usually made out of wood, were used among other items in the ceremony of Nguillatun, the main religious celebration during harvest season, in which the Ona thanked and asked deities for common welfare and prosperity.

The Mapuche Indians were such fierce warriors that the Inca Empire, after having conquered all of South America, was eventually defeated by the Mapuche tribes who successfully resisted numerous attempts to occupy their territory. The Mapuche also defeated the Spaniards, who otherwise conquered all of South America, and continued their resistance in southern Chile for about 200 years, until finally signing a peace treaty in the late 1880s. There are two traditional Mapuche musical instuments: the trutruca – a long colorful trumpet with a cow horn for bell; and the kultrún – a leather/wood drum often painted with Mapuche symbols. For either instrument expect to pay between $30 and $60 USD.

Pisco is a liquor made of grapes. While there is a heated dispute between Chile and Peru as to Pisco origins, drinks made with Pisco are considered an art form in Chile. Pisco is used in various recipes, such as: Pisco Sour, made with lime juice; Mango Sour, made with mango juice; and Sour Haas, made with avocados, pineapple and mint. There is even an Aji Sour, made with Chilean green chili! Pisco comes in varying proofs of alcohol, from 12° to 50°, the higher the proof, the higher the price. You get to decide for yourself if the proof improves the flavor. A nice bottle of Chilean Pisco can range from $5 to $30 USD a bottle. Bottles of premixed Pisco sour and mango sour sell for $6 to $10 USD.

Chilean Carico is also known as Chilean Golden Papaya or Chilean Mountain Papaya, even though it grows near the Atacama Desert (famed as the driest place on Earth). Due to its limited crop size, the exotic Chilean papaya is usually sold and consumed only in Chile. When exported, Chilean papaya is considered a gourmet fruit, used in desserts and garnishing. Unlike other papayas, Chilean Carica is never eaten raw. It should be cooked before eating because of the high level of papain present, an enzyme that digests proteins. This boutique fruit with a bright yellow color and delightful sweet taste is sold in preserves for about $5 to $10 a jar.

Rari is a small town in southern Chile, near Linares, where the craft of making figures using woven horse hair, called Crin, has originated. This novel form of art has been passed down from mother to daughter for about 300 years. You can find colorful flowers, birds, butterflies, animals, and human figures all made of woven horse hair. These hand-made crafts are still produced one at a time and there are a few shops in Santiago that keep a good stock of Crin items. Of course, if you visit Linares in Southern Chile, it is well worth taking a 21-km trip to Rari. Expect to pay between $5 and 10 USD for a small to medium size Crin figures.