Over a year ago, I wrote an article on El Tianguis de los Martes, otherwise known as The Tuesday Market. But now that I’ve revisited on a number of occasions since then, it’s safe to say that I’ve been able to explore more of it over time. And, I’ve been able to take a lot more pictures since then, as well.
So, firstly, I should elaborate a little on the market itself. The name is pretty self-explanatory–It’s a massive market, held every Tuesday, all through the year. And when I say massive, I’m not fooling around. The entire market is around three football fields in length, and as far as I can tell, it’s more or less divided into three large sections. Not only that, but there’s stall after stall packed under clusters of blue and red tarps. And the items that each of these stalls sell can vary widely, one moment you could be looking at clothing, and with a simple swivel on your feet, you could be looking at household items.
To try and list everything that can be bought at the market would be difficult. And to try and map out just where everything it would be more or less impossible. It’s safe to say that if you go in looking for something, it’s likely you’ll walk out with what you need…As well as a bunch of other things that you may or may not absolutely need. So, if you want a place where you can shop ’till you drop, this is the perfect location for it.
Cute magnets someone had set out.
More magnets. I really regret not buying one of each before I left…
Like I said, there’s a lot of different people selling a lot of different things. But, there are a few categories of things that are easy to come by at the market. Clothes, whether that be brand-new or second-hand items, is practically around every corner. Footwear is also in abundance as well, but if you’re someone who can’t bring themselves to wear the same outfit twice, it’s easy to say you’ll find more than enough clothing here.
The clothing seemingly goes on forever at points.
Many people sell a lot of food-related items, and there are plenty of locations that sell fresh fish, chicken, and produce. So, it’s a convenient way to roll your leisurely shopping with buying things for dinner, and to save yourself from a trip to the grocery store.
Often times, we like to pick up some fish from the market for dinner when we visit. Since it can be a bit difficult to track down decent locations that sell fish in the city, this is the prime location to purchase some. But what’s even better here is the multitude of restaurants to be found nestled inside the various areas of the market. There’s the usual places that sell things such as tortas or gorditas, as well as pizza. My sister has additionally discovered a place that sells pretty good corn dogs and nachos, too.
A place to get gorditas, I would guess.
One of the pizza places.
But, the popular place to eat in our family is a fried fish place, just a short walk away from the main entrance of the market. I mentioned it in the last article I wrote on the market, but I really can’t pass up talking about it again. Not only do they make shrimp cocktail, but they also fry up extremely fresh seafood items, such as fish fillets, shrimp, and whole fish. They also come wish fresh corn tortilla chips, and a salad, too.
This is the seating area for the fried fish place.
Here’s one of the whole fish I was talking about…
All in all, The Tuesday Market is a blast. But believe me, from the hordes of people and the sheer magnitude of the market, you’ll more than likely get tired out after a couple of hours. Still, with everything to look at, buy, and eat, I think everyone will find it worth it in the end.
Until next time,
-The Student Abroad
The Student Abroad 