Famous Faces, Famous Places and Famous Foods
La Ciudadela - Shopper’s Paradise
VW bugs in a rainbow of colors dot the Paseo de la Reforma, one of the busy main roads in Mexico City. It is 10:00 a.m. on a Saturday, early by Mexican standards, and the streets are relatively free of traffic. Tall office buildings in a variety of architectural styles shadow the street. Armed with a shopping list, cash (safely tucked in pockets and my fanny-pack), and good walking shoes, Bob and I drive downtown to La Ciudadela, the open-air, artisan marketplace containing over 300 vendor stalls.
Vendors are busy opening shop and cleaning their merchandise to entice shoppers. The concrete corridors are narrow between the vendor stalls. Tables and baskets of merchandise spill out onto the walk-way. This is nirvana for the shopper.
Colorful embroidered blouses, blankets in a myriad of patterns, and beaded jewelry hang from awnings; eye-candy vying for your attention. Here, you will find authentic Mexican silver, pewter bowls and trays, decorative wall mirrors, woodwork, and ceramics from all over Mexico. The prices are spectacular!
Many of these items can be found at specialty stores in malls, but for a much higher price. You may haggle with vendors, though the prices listed are fair and often come with a discount.
Bob and I start off right away with purchases at the first stall. We have been here several times before and know the layout fairly well. For first time shoppers, I suggest browsing several stalls, as many of them carry similar items. You may find a beautiful hand-carved wood chest at the first stall you visit, but if you wait, you may find the perfect chest that matches your bedroom decor at another stall. Our purchases for the day include a beautiful silver chain necklace and matching bracelet, a wine-glass set, and several hand-woven baskets. We find a hand-carved mesquite chess set for 198 pesos (less than US$20), a perfect gift for a friend. Bob and I have a philosophy of not haggling often with shop owners, since a few pesos here and there makes hardly a difference to us, but may mean a meal for the vendor's family.
We have a light snack at the cafe in the center of the square. Bob has a beer and I, a coke. We share two orders of nachos with beans and cheese. The guacamole at this place is my favorite. It has a strong spicy kick. Total cost for our snack? Thirty pesos (US$3). We enjoy sitting in the square and people-watching. There is a great mix of people as this is a popular spot for both tourists and locals. A pair of French tourists spend 20 minutes choosing several sombreros at a nearby shop. An American gentleman is interested in the chairs of the cafe. I suspect that if he had asked the shop owner, he could have made a purchase. Behind us, tourists haggle in a mix of English and broken Spanish for silver jewelry. Two Mexican children run laughing down the aisle, a scruffy dog in tow.
A couple of hours and some very sore feet later, Bob and I make our final run to the car with our purchases. Our car is loaded with plastic bags filled with glassware, candle holders, jewelry, and picture frames. Bob's favorite purchase for the day is a beautiful hand-made acoustic guitar for only 300 pesos (US$30). As we pull out to go home, the streets outside the Ciudadelaare filled with cars, parked side-by-side, sardine-fashion. The park across from the marketplace is crowded with people; families stroll along the pathways, vendors hawk plastic sunglasses, T-shirts, tacos, and fruit. It is early fall and we are finished with our Christmas shopping!
Warning: Visitors to the area should hire registered, radio, tourist taxis through their hotel services. For your safety, do not hire taxis off the street.
Location: La Ciudadela market (Balderas and Ayuntamiento, approximately four blocks south of Av. Juarez).