If you want to understand a city, skip the guidebook highlights for a morning and head straight to its markets. Mexico City’s markets pulled back the curtain on daily life in a way that no museum or monument ever could — and we walked away with vanilla beans, a new skirt, and a story about grasshoppers.
Mercado de San Juan Pugibet (Food Market)
Our first stop was the local food market — a sprawling, sensory-overload kind of place packed with produce stalls, fish counters, whole chickens, and meat displays that reminded us just how far removed most of us are from where our food actually comes from. We had a mission: vanilla beans. Making homemade vanilla extract has been on the list for a while, and we figured Mexico City was the place to source the good stuff. (Spoiler: it’s going to make excellent Christmas gifts.)
But the vanilla hunt was just the beginning. What really stopped us in our tracks were the insects. If you’re not already aware, edible insects are a genuine part of Mexican cuisine — not a novelty, not a tourist gimmick. Vendors were enthusiastically holding out bags of chapulinas (grasshoppers or crickets) hoping to convert us. We politely declined. Multiple times. No judgment to those who took the plunge, but we were not ready for that particular adventure.
The Artisan Market (Mercado de Artesanías La Ciudadela)
From the food market, we made our way to the artisan market — they were only a 6-minute walk apart. We’d actually visited on a previous trip to Mexico City, and it did not disappoint the second time around.
This place has everything: hand-woven blankets and rugs, pottery, jewelry, embroidered headbands, and textiles in every color imaginable. I actually bought a skirt here that I wore to a wedding after we returned home, which felt like a perfect Mexico City souvenir Fair warning: if your Spanish is limited, bring a patient friend (or Google Translate) who can help you ask about sizes, availability, and fitting rooms. Having an in-house translator made a real difference, and yes — that translator is still accepting thank-yous.
The market is laid out in a grid, which sounds organized until you’re inside it and realize you genuinely cannot tell if you’ve already visited this pottery stall or a different one selling similar wares two rows over. The repetition can feel overwhelming, but push through it. What makes this place worth every confusing loop is knowing that the money goes directly to the artisans. We literally watched a woman sitting on a piece of cardboard, weaving a hammock by hand. That’s the real thing.
Practical Tips
Come with cash, a sense of direction (or willingness to abandon one), and low expectations for efficiency — but high expectations for discovery. The food market is best visited in the morning when everything is fresh. The artisan market rewards slow wandering; budget at least a couple of hours. And if someone offers you grasshoppers, well — that part’s entirely up to you.
Thanks for stopping by! Check out our Go See Do Explore Podcast, available wherever you listen to podcasts. To read more about this trip, check out the Returning to Mexico City Trip Report Page. To read about some of our previous trips, visit my Trips Page. If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page and follow me on Instagram! For my list of gadgets to make your travels easier, click here.
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