Tuesday Market
The Tianguis de los Martes (Tuesday Market) was on a highway about 1.5 miles from Zona Centro. A tianguis is a traditional open air bazaar held on certain days, a Mexican tradition that has remained largely the same for over 500 years.
This tianguis was massive, shaded by four huge metal roofs, like airplane hangars without walls. Under each roof was a maze of stalls, like a mashup of farmers market, flea market, and street fair. Although the street food stalls tended to be at one end of each section, there didn’t seem to be much organization by type of vendor. Sometimes a table of produce was jammed between one with electronics and another with clothing.
Speaking of clothing, there was TONS of it here. Some stalls sold new shirts, pajamas, and shoes; others sold vintage clothes. There was an abundance of holiday-themed fleece pajamas and vintage ugly Christmas sweaters. The most astonishing sight was behind the stalls, at the center of each section: rows of long tables with huge piles of unsorted clothing, selling for just 10 pesos (50 cents) per piece. Shoppers picked through the piles, occasionally throwing items over to tables in different rows. It was chaos!
There was an impressive variety of antojitos (street foods). We had eaten a hearty breakfast, so we weren't hungry. And honestly, we were feeling overwhelmed by the sensory overload. I would like to return one day just for the food, and sample some of these delicious-looking dishes.
Most of the shoppers and diners were locals; we saw very few other gringos like us. It was fun to experience the hustle and bustle of the Tuesday Market.
