Mercado de Granaditas, La Lagunilla

The Mercado de Granaditas is a giant market for shoes in the heart of La Lagunilla. It’s three domes are visible from Eje 1 Norte, here called Granaditas and thus one understands the name too. Just up the street, the Clothing and Apparel Market puts forward a similar to face to the avenue. And this confusion may be the first of many in complicated Lagunilla, and possibly Tepito as well. Both neighborhoods are famous for the giant street-snarling markets that spread well out from sidewalks, and often block traffic. But neither is officially even a neighborhood.

The historic building was designed by a then-young Pedro Ramírez Vázquez. It opened in 1957 at about the same time as the clothing market. Both have been jammed ever since. To add to the confusion, some records will list this one as the “Tepito Ropa y Telas” market. Home to some 709 formal merchants, of course, that number should be taken with a grain of salt. It’s enormous.

Some sources claim there are 10,000 different models of shoes under this one roof (and 12 domes). And shoes remain the big thing here. There are also a few dealers in bags, leather goods and related items. There are even a few eateries. No fewer than 3,000 people work here too and all of us need to eat! To be sure, just a little to the north, another market is dedicated entirely to athletic shoes. But here, browsers enjoy every possible style and model of footwear, and quite a bit more.

Hours: Daily, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.