Traditional Indoor Markets in Mexico

As I have written previously, whenever traveling to a city in Mexico for the first time one of the first things that I do is visit a modern supermarket to get a clean, well-lit, interesting, non-threatening, albeit sanitized, view and feel for the area that I am ‘discovering.” However, to get an even more comprehensive perspective, albeit less sanitized and non-regulated, of a city’s or regions products, culinary offerings, people, culture, and traditions oftentimes the very first thing that I do or even on repeat visits is to explore the city’s primary indoor retail marketplace. These markets may be referred to as mercados municipales/municipal markets, mercados publicos/public markets, or just "el mercado." Whatever they are called, a whole different world of sights, aromas, tastes, sounds, and (depending on the vendor, touches) awaits you.

Virtually every town and city in Mexico has one or more of these markets which are normally in buildings owned and operated by the local government with the stalls/stands being rented or sometimes purchased by individual vendors. Many of these markets were developed, particularly in the cities, as some of the even more traditional open-air bazaar-like tianguis were moved indoors at the bequest of the government. The wide variety of goods being sold are normally less expensive than can be found elsewhere such as in departments stores, specialty shops, or supermarkets. The quality of the products being sold is normally good but definitely varies from market to market and merchant to merchant. Typically for certain types of merchandise, bargaining/haggling is the norm.

Having lived in western central Mexico for a few years, I have experienced many of these indoor markets which I call "the original Mexican indoor shopping centers that sell virtually everything that is not directly under the sun.” Two of my favorite markets based on their location, consumer activity, manageable spacing of the aisles, typical local dishes, and extensive offerings are the Mercado de San Juan in Morelia, Michoacan and the mercado municipal in Queretaro, Queretaro. However, my favorite architecturally is the smaller, well-situated Mercado Hidalgo in Guanajuato, Guanajuato; inaugurated in 1910, originally constructed as a train station but never used as such, it was designed by the renowned French structural engineer/architect Gustav Eiffel and features a lovely pink cantera stone façade and a huge domed roof highlighted by a gorgeous copola- I also like it because, not common for this type of market, there are reasonably priced and interesting local rocks and minerals for sale, a passion of mine!

Yet, the most impressive Mercado municipal that I have ever experienced is the Mercado Libertad more popularly known as the Mercado San Juan de Dios in Mexico’s second largest city, Guadalajara, Jalisco. Built in 1958 and located a few minutes walk from the downtown modernistic Plaza de la Liberacion, comprising three levels with an area of around 4000 square meters and having approximately 3000 puestos/stalls and two parking lots this massive market with pretty tight aisles has been reputed to be the largest indoor retail market in Latin America. Open daily from 6AM-8PM, it is not only frequented by hordes of consumer savvy poor to affluent Tapatios, as residents of Guadalajara are called, but is a major destination for both Mexican and foreign tourists.

Every time that I have been in Guadalajara, I have gone to this market. Like almost all of these markets, regardless of their size, this humungous one (thank goodness!) is systematically laid out in themes or sections such as produce, jewlery, or electronics. From memory, ranging from the mundane to the exotic, the following is a not so brief sampling of what this extraordinary market has to offer: flowers and plants; local and imported fruits and vegetables; fresh and dried herbs for culinary and medicinal purposes; copious arrays of fresh and dried chilies, rice, and dried beans; local cheeses and dairy products; fresh fish and seafood, meat, and poultry; sundry dried fruits and nuts; dried fish and seafood, including multiple sizes and grades of shrimp; mole pastes; regional and commercial candies; flour and corn tortillas made on the premises; breads including bolillos and teleras; standard grocery items; yarn and fabrics; rebozos; traditional regional dresses; sombreros; cowboy and other styles of boots; huaraches/woven sandals; a section dedicated to fine handmade leather items including jackets, belts, purses, and hats; shoes mostly from Leon, Guanajuato, the shoe capital of Mexico; baseball caps; mens, womens, and childrens clothing; traditional and modern toys; hardware and tools, including all sizes of machetes; paint; sporting goods; musical instruments featuring guitars; cosmetics and toiletries; watches; silver, gold, and costume jewelry; eyeglasses; sun glasses; automobile accessories; household goods and appliances; furniture; blankets, towels, and pillows; religious items including candles, paintings, figurines, rosaries, and crucifixes; party favors, of course with a large selection of traditional and contemporary piñatas; pet supplies; office and school supplies; backpacks; electronics galore including computers and boom boxes; cellular phones; popular posters; and CDs, DVDs, and cassettes. Please keep in mind, that mind bogglingly for every item mentioned above there are up to dozens upon dozens of individual vendors selling each and every one of them in stall after stall after stall in narrow aisle after aisle after aisle...

Moreover, the Mercado Libertad has, unlike the mercados that were previously mentioned located in Morelia and Queretaro, an excellent selection of regional folk arts including ceramics, copper goods, specialty bags, hand-woven basketry, and papier mache dolls and masks. This is a primary reason why so many Mexican and foreign tourists come to this market. It is also a major factor in my going there repeatedly.

However, the primary reason that I go to this market, same as why I go to most of the other medium to large markets that I frequent throughout Mexico, is to figuratively and literally get a “taste” of the region by observing the local citizenry along with the Mexican tourists and by seeing and eating regional specialties. Here on the second floor is where there are dozens of food fondas/stalls. Be aware though that the majority of these restaurants close around 3-4PM. This market is known not only for excellent seafood (remember that Puerto Vallarta is located in Jalisco) like huge shrimp cocktails, fried garlic shrimp, and assorted ceviches but such typical specialties as tortas ahogadas/sandwiches drowned in red chili sauce, and menudo and posole/pork and hominy stew in the style of Jalisco.

Other than sampling (ok, feasting upon!) the regional culinary delights that most of these markets offer, an unusual fruit, or, if available, an inexpensive craft to add to my Churintzio, Michoacan home's ever-growing "Mexican museum," I never buy much when visiting the market in Guadalajara and the numerous other ones that I go to. Afterall, I am there mostly to people watch and with all of my senses to experience and appreciate the exotica and even the "mundanica" of it all. Thus, if I want to get the true feel of how people live in a particular area and what is available there, I “generously” spend much time in these primarily indoor marketplaces. Perhaps, if you want to experience a significant segment of the “real” Mexico, wherever you happen to be in that country, you should do the same.