La Merced Market

Mercado de la Merced, Mexico City’s largest traditional food market, is full of little neighborhoods. Wander the districts devoted to everything from nopales—sometimes stacked five feet high—to pyramids of limes and columns of banana leaves. For a quick snack, try tacos de guisado: tortillas topped with chicharrón prensado or mole verde. If you’re feeling more adventurous, sample the maguey worms or the ant eggs. Mercado de la Merced is located just east of the main zócalo, just a few blocks north of the boulevard Fray Servando Teresa de Mier.

La Merced is another food market, considerably larger than San Juan, and a bit more frenetic, too. The market, spread out over several enormous buildings, includes a section devoted solely to kitchen appliances and gadgets. If you’re considering becoming an expat, this is the place to come for your new blender; if you’re just passing through, then pick up some wooden spoons or a clay pot made in Mexico, which you can use to cook everything from beans to meat and plenty of dishes in between. Offerings run the gamut from handmade Mexican kitchen goods such as molcajetes and metates, to industrially-made appliances ideal for commercial kitchens.

La Merced Market is a traditional retail market where locals buy groceries and everyday needs. There are also a few food stalls that sells cheap, authentic, and delicious tacos and quesadillas. I had my big DSLR with me and wanted to take some portraits. Everyone was really nice and friendly about it, they weren’t shy at all. Some of them even came up to me and requested to have their pictures taken. On a side note, if you are a female traveler, be ready to hear whistles and ‘Hola bonita’s.’