Mercado Xotepingo

The Mercado Xotepingo is one of the most appropriately named of Mexico City Public Markets. Xotepingo, the name of the old ranch that took up much of the neighborhood until the 19th cenutry, translates from the Nahuatl as “place of the little chiles.”

This market was built some 56 years ago. Prior to that merchants were relegated to the median strip on the Avenida Jacarandas. Like most markets in the city, this one was intended to free up the surrounding streets and to give merchants a more permanent base. A 2017 UAM study counted some 120 of them under this shared roof. That number will fluctuate some based on the season. A few more will take up some of the sidewalks outside.

These sidewalks today lead to the many gardens for which the Col. Ciudad Jardín is famous. A historic neighborhood, it came to be in 1948 as a housing solution for the many workers manning the waterworks in the area. By 1968, ground was broken on the famous Divina Providencia church, next door to the market. It’s among the most prominent buildings in the neighborhood, although many fine examples of homes from the 1950s still stand.

International travelers are advised to head inside the Mercado Xotepingo. It’s not just a cultural point of focus the whole neighborhood, but a great place to eat too. It’s about a five-minute walk northwest from the Cd. Jardin Light Rail station.

Hours: Daily, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.