Mercado La Moderna

The Mercado La Moderna is just east of Metro Xola in the La Moderna neighborhood, the northernmost of ten Benito Juárez neighborhoods east of the Calzada de Tlalpan. This strip of neighborhoods all retain something of the character of the old Hacienda de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad de los Portales which controlled the land during the colonial period.

Here, near Metro Xola, we’re only getting the sense of the beginning at the north of the causeway. The hacienda controlled the road south to Metro Portales, although the Calzada de Tlalpan continues even further.

Nearly all of this stretch of the City developed only in the 20th century. And here, development and architecture are contemporaneous with the colonia Los Alamos on the opposite side of the causeway. That’s to say, the most charming are residential units built in the 1920s and 1930s, often with a compelling mix of Arts & Crafts and Art Deco.

The market is, of course, the center of it all. It dates from the 1960s and complete meals cost a fraction of restaurant prices, and contain far better ingredients too. Fresher, healthier, and often more lovingly prepared, there’s no better deal.

• For tips on eating in the market, see the Fonda guide here.

As a neighborhood center, the market shares its few blocks with the impressive Casa de Cultura Moderna, which faces the La Moderna Park.