Day Five in Mexico City: Walking/Taking the Metro to Mercado de la Merced and Back

On Sunday, J and I walked down Reforma to the second closest subway stop. The road was closed to traffic, and both joggers and bicyclists seemed to be making the most of it.

The streets around Insurgentes were not thriving. Numerous abandoned buildings lined Av de los Insurgentes Sur, and few people walked around. The sprawling circular metro station seemed to be the epicenter.

image
Crotch Rocket Cops is filmed on location with real crotch rockets.
image
Public bikes.
image
Grate, but not good.
image
El Angel Monumento a la Independencia.
image
The golden angel.
image
Cool separator in the middle of Paseo de la Reforma.
image
Turn on the magic of colored lights.
image
Parking and abandonment.
image
Old façade.
image
Ornate wooden door.
image
Classy sill in the middle of dilapidation.
image
Folksy zombie address scrawl.
image
Sidewalk malfunction.
image
Ah, the good life.
image
Altar to abandoned buildings.
image
Two failed high-rises.
image
Robocop’s crash pad.
image
This show is consistently undersold.
image
Graifitti.
image
Failing paint and narrow building.
image
Metro sign.

Mercado Merced had its own subway stop that emptied out throngs of people into a sea of shoe vendors. We started wandering, through party supplies, flowers, and into the fresh produce area.

So much fresh and beautiful produce was for sale, of all types. White onions, limes, and chilies seemed most common.

Looking at the map now, we missed over two thirds of the market, as the subway exit is in the bottom half.

image
Floral foam.
image
Fake flowers.
image
J.J. Abrams’s Piñatas.
image
Jalepeños and tomatillos.
image
Tomatoes.
image
Jicama pillow.
image
Heads will roll.
image
The darkness.
image
Inside the main hall.
image
Nopales.
image
Banana plants and corn.
image
Chilies.
image
Pardon me señor, do you have any limes?
image
Folding banana leaves. Presumably they will be used for making tamales.
image
Corn husks and the suspicious husker.
image
Dried chilies.
image
A smorgasbord of unidentifiable protein sources.
image
Medicinal herbs.
image
Pineapples.
image
Making tortillas the new-fashioned way.
image
Tearful delivery.
image
The garnish helps the curb appeal.
image
Preserved palm or banana parts. Not sure.
image
Some damn fine looking tortas.
image
Sadness over slaughter.
image
Every cloud has a stomach lining.
image
The slicer.
image
Hanging with slaughtered Cooper.
image
Apparently mole paste looks like dinosaur poop.
image
Onion man.
image
Squash blossoms.
image
Pomegranate is in season, thus chiles en nogata in every damn restaurant.
image
Confetti eggs.
image
Overlooking the street south of Merced from the crosswalk.

Behind the market was clogged and bustling Rosario St. We walked south and crossed over the pedestrian bridge to Mercado de Sonora.

This market was much smaller, though it did have the world’s saddest pet area. Puppies and kitten in wire cages. Too many chickens and exotic birds squawking and flapping dust and bird flu into the air.

image
Mercado de Sonora from above.
image
Creepy corn man welcomes you to the saddest pet store on earth.
image
The backside.

We left the market and used our intuitive navigation sense to walk in the direction of the Zócalo to get lunch. Along the way, we passed many professional ladies. Apparently, the area around the market is thick with them, many under age.

El Cardenal was full when we arrived, so I did my best to give the hostess my name and ask her how many minutes it would be. But she misheard by name, and 40 minutes later we were still without a table.

Eventually we were seated and ready to enjoy our meal of beer, soda, bread, quesadillas, mole poblano, and chiles en nogada.

image
Forgotten ice.
image
A woman of the night.
image
Hunched high score.
image
Old door.
image
Abandoned school?
image
Stability.
image
Awesome mortaring.
image
Chiles en nogata at El Cardenal.

Time permitting, I want to go back to the market. I know I only scratched the surface.

August 23rd, 2012. Categories / Mexico City

News Menu

About Categories Archives