Mercado Emilio Carranza

The Mercado Emilio Carranza is a pets market in the Colonia Morelos. As such, it’s known also as the Mercado de Peces, i.e.; the Fish Market. But the truth is, it’s actually a specialized market with supplies for all kinds of pets, and some live animals too. In Mexico City, it’s not the only tropical fish market, but it is one of the biggest.

The market stands at the edge of the giant Tepito tianguis. But here, the street market largely turns its attention to products related to all kinds of pets and animals.

The market is named for the historical pilot who was the pride of Mexico when he died in 1928.

• Captain Emilio Carranza Rodríguez (1905–1928) was a record-breaking aviator and thus a national hero. He set multiple early flight records. At only age 22, he flew the third longest non-stop solo flight distance of some 3,000 km) from San Diego, California, to Mexico City. The trip tool some 18.5 hours. In 1927, he flew non-stop from Mexico City to Ciudad Juárez, a distance of some 1,931 kilometers. In 1928, Carranza died en route from New York City back to Mexico City. He’d flown to New York to promote international peace and goodwill.

The Mercado Emilio Carranza specializes heavily in pets and supplies. There are both a lunch counter and a number of smaller food dealers who regularly ply the immediate environs. But by and large, the market remains a hope for those looking to better supply their pets, or to simply gawp at hundreds and hundreds of tropical fish.