Mexico City offers everything from upmarket department stores and trendy boutiques to shopping malls to street hawkers. Fixed prices prevail in the upmarket shops and department stores, but it is commonplace to bargain in the markets. Favorite shopping areas include the Centro Histórico, La Zona Rosa and in recent years Polanco.
The largest department stores are
Sanborns,
Liverpool and
Palacio de Hierro. The original stores are in the Centro Histórico but all have branches in suburban shopping malls. Particularly interesting is the
Casa de Azulejos (House of Tiles),
between Avenida Cinco de Mayo and Avenida Madero, a beautiful building, dating from 1596 and covered in handmade blue and white tiles. On the inside, it sports a mural by Orozco and a Sanborns department store and restaurant.
Centro Santa Fe, Vasco de Quiroga 3800, in the western part of the city, is the largest shopping center in Latin America and boasts nearly 300 shops, with department stores, boutiques, restaurants, play areas for children and 10 cinemas, although there is no metro nearby.
There are a number of markets selling Mexican
artesanías (handicrafts). The
Bazar Sábado (Saturday Bazaar), Plaza San Jacinto 11, in San Angel, is a showcase for some of Mexico’s finest handicrafts, although prices are high.
The National Fund for the Development of Arts and Crafts (Fonart), with outlets at Avenida Patriotismo 691, Avenida Paseo de la Reforma 116 and Avenida Juarez 89, is a government initiative to preserve folk art traditions among indigenous peoples. All of the work, from colorful hand-painted crockery to innovative blown glass, is made by regional artisans in poor communities.
Artisans display their crafts every Saturday 1000-1900.
Mercado de Curiosidades Mexicanos San Juan (San Juan Market of Mexican Curiosities), at Ayuntamiento and Dolores in the Centro Histórico, is a handicraft venue open Monday to Saturday 0900-1900 and Sunday 0900-1600. Nearby, the
Mercado la Ciudadela, on the corner of Balderas and Dondé, is a covered market with a wide variety of
artesanía from all over Mexico. Prices are fair but expect to bargain; open daily 1030-1830.
For more unusual fare, the national pawnshop, the
Monte de Piedad (Mountain of Compassion), Avenida Cinco de Mayo, opposite the Catedral Metropolitana, is also worth a look. It was opened in 1775 as a charitable organization and still helps finance school construction and retirement homes with its profits.
Shop opening hours are generally 0900/1000-2000/2100. The larger department stores remain open late into the evening. Smaller stores often close between 1400 and 1600, then reopen until 2000. Mexico City adds VAT (Value Added Tax) at 15%, which cannot be claimed back by visitors.
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The Columbus World Travel Guide has been published for 26 years and is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.
Word Travels is a comprehensive travel guide covering hundreds of cities and holiday resorts in more than 125 countries.
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