Mercado Juan de Dios Peza

The Mercado Juan de Dios Peza is the neighborhood market for the Colonia Santa Ana Poniente in Tláhuac. It also serves the western-side of the Pueblo Zapotitlán and San Miguel Zapotitla to the north. All of these communities are in the shadow of the Xaltepec Volcano, omnipresent to the northeast.

• Juan de Dios Pedro Pablo Peza Osorio (1852–1910) was a poet, writer, and later a politician. He began at the School of Agriculture and Architecture, the Colegio de San Ildefonso and entered the National Preparatory School in 1867. He became famous writing about the Mexican liberal movement and this led to a career in journalism. After a stint representing Mexico in Spain, he was elected deputy to the Congress of the Union but continued his literary ambitions. His work was translated into Russian, French, English, German, Hungarian, Portuguese, Italian, and Japanese. He died on the very cusp of the Mexican Revolution. One of his best known works, titled Reír llorando (To laugh, crying) includes the following verse:
  • The world’s carnival deceives so much,
    that lives are short masks;
    here we learn to laugh with tears
    and also to cry with laughter.
  • El carnaval del mundo engaña tanto,
    que las vidas son breves mascaradas;
    aquí aprendemos a reír con llanto
    y también a llorar con carcajadas.

The Mercado Juan de Dios Pesa is open every day. It’s not a widely known market, but it is an excellent place to understand the local community, and the food. It’s also a lot more affordable and it’s well often the beaten path. It’s roughly a ten minute walk north from Metro Nopalera.

Hours: Daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.