Magic of the Markets

I have seen the things which were brought to the King from the new golden land ... a sun all of gold ... and a moon all of silver ... wondrous weapons ... strange clothing ... and all manner of marvellous things for many uses ... in all the days of my life I have seen nothing that so rejoiced my heart as these things, for I saw among them wonderful works of art, and I marvelled at the subtle genius of men in distant lands

Bernal Díaz del Castillo marched with Cortés and in his "True History of the Discovery and Conquest of New Spain", he tried to describe the wonders of the great market near Tenochtitlan as he saw it 1519. His list of marvelous goods runs on for pages and pages.

In Mexico, and especially Oaxaca, visiting the market can still inspire pleasures and provide those unexpected interludes that provide richness and texture to your vacation. The market represents the pulse of Oaxaca, it is its soul and the unbroken link to its ancient past. Increasingly in the world shopping involves mega stores, malls and soul-less outlets where the consumer has minimal contact with the people who sell and those who sell have virtually no contact with those who produce and vice versa.

In Oaxaca, shopping and the market place are cultures in themselves. Within the marketplace there is the merchants internal subculture which is very complex, with a camaraderie of common interests and proximity stimulated by competition and sometimes not so friendly rivalry. Add to that the shoppers culture of hunting for price and quality, bartering and socializing and you get the ever changing, dynamic mix that has been evolving for millennia.

The tourist, too, has a place in this culture and is expected to abide by certain rules. In general, the prices are somewhat higher for the tourist, but bartering is definitely allowed. One important rule is: Be sure to ask permission if you want to take photos, not because the people have some superstitious fear of having their picture taken, but because it's just common courtesy.

To the uninitiated, the Oaxacan marketplace can seem more hectic, exciting and confusing than the floor of the stock market. For this shopper one of the most exciting things about shopping here is just listening to the symphony of voices, dialects and languages and watching the unfolding kaleidoscope of images, colors and scenes.

No matter how many markets you go to, there is always something new to see, smell, hear, taste or learn.

Puerto Escondido's Benito Juárez market is fairly typical of Mexican markets, but perhaps somewhat better ordered than most. Puerto's original market was located just off of Av. Oaxaca on 1st North Street, at the plaza now known as Parque de Idilio. Almost 20 years ago, it moved some 7 blocks uptown, into what then seemed to be the huge Benito Juárez building.

But as the town grew, this market proved inadequate to meet the needs of a rapidly expanding resident and visitor population. Four years ago a modern annex was added, so that now the market sprawls over an entire city block, bounded by 8th North, 4th West, 9th North and 3rd West.

The market is open every day, but Wednesday and Saturday are the days that suppliers from around the state and beyond bring in their fresh produce. On these days the market is busier, the surrounding streets more congested as itinerant merchants peddle every kind of product you didn't know you needed. The new, airy, high-vaulted market structure is where you go for your food shopping: Rows of stands neatly piled with fruits and vegetable in a mosaic of shapes and textures rendered with a palette of every conceivable hue, sections for meat, chicken, fish, cheeses and baked goods. You'll find a row of fresh juice and licuado stands, where the proprietor can mix you up a nutritious, therapeutic or merely delicious concoction of your choice. There's glorious row of flower stalls which is a feast for the senses. And don't miss the adjacent rows of regional products. Here you'll encounter everything from brown ranch eggs, sunflower seeds, beans, dried shrimp, garlic, chocolate, moles, herbs and medicinal plants to charcoal, banana leaves for cooking tamales, metates for grinding corn and pestles for mixing your salsa. There's also a section of small restaurants serving extraordinarily good food at the cheapest prices in town.

The old original market building also has some good eating. Here you'll also find a large selection of arts, crafts and souvenirs, including great clothing: embroidered peasant blouses, colorful print dresses, shawls, shirts and loose cotton pants. There is a section of eclectic services: watch and shoe repairers, piñatas and party supplies, locksmiths, scribes, jewelers, stationers, as well as those ubiquitous stalls of cheap clothing, plastic and other imported trash, which seem to proliferate at a deplorable rate.

It truly is one-stop shopping; the original mall, but without the muzak, where you can buy sandals, a hat, a saddle or medicine for your sick goat. We each tend to have our favorite juice stand, favorite place to nibble sopes, our regular fish, chicken and vegetable ladies. The market might not be the most efficient place to shop, but it is a deeply rich and satisfying experience. Shopping involves meaningful human interaction and becomes part of a timeless ritual.

Our local market is amazingly well provided and always holds a few surprises: Is that lemon grass? Have you tried the shitake mushrooms? There's asparagus this week.

I make it a point to check out the local market in every town I visit. Each reflects in some way the distinct characteristics of its community. If you visit the city of Oaxaca, you can explore a different, interesting market every day of the week.

The closer to the city the wider the variety of products, but even within the Central Valleys there are regional differences in products and demographics. For example at the Sunday market of Tlacolula, you will find more mescal and woolen rugs. At the Wednesday market in Etla there are more dairy products.

In Mitla, you have regional clothing; woolen rugs in Teotitlán and Santa Ana del Valle. In the Valley of Ocotlán you have clay figurines; fine embroidery in Ocotlán and San Antonino; hand woven cotton belts and sashes in Santo Tomás Jalietza. Closer still to the city is San Bartolo Coyotepec with its famous black pottery, Atzompa with its terra-cotta and green glaze, and Arrazola is world famous for hand carved phantasmagorical wooden animals called alebrijes. And that's just for starters.