Central de Abastos: Pasillos

Fotografía: Milton Martínez / Secretaría de Cultura de la Ciudad de México.

The Central de Abastos “Pasillos” is what most people mean when they talk about a visit to Abastos. Many of these same people will only visit the other side, the open air part of Abastos (to the north), because it feels like something of a commitment to actually enter the giant warehouse style buildings on the southern half of the complex.

True beginners will want to go with a tour group. You just end up seeing a lot more than when you wander and hope to not get lost. You will get lost. But that is likely at least part of the fun.

Abastos opened in the 1980s as a replacement for the then-biggest market in the city, name La Merced. It quickly grew to be mostly a food distribution hub, but in independent and small-business-friendly Mexico, it always had its small time customers. That’s good for visitors from other countries, because you really can still visit, walk the cavernous halls, and pick up something special for next to no money, or at least, cheaper than anywhere else.

You can get a sense of scale too, or at least you can try. It’s massive, and the pasillos are where everything from packaged goods to produce from the farm, to butcher products are traded. It goes on here because people would never tolerate just one family taking over everything as you see happening elsewhere around the world. That limits what you can get and often means you could never even find food this fresh, much less in these quantities.

It’s a fun day out, but plan on getting lost at least a little. Go with a group and stay in contact with them.