Plaza del Angel, on Calle Hamburgo between Florencia and Amberes, has the biggest concentration of antique shops in the city. Collectors and sellers from around the metropolitan area converge on the plaza's Saturday antique market.
A more exclusive shopping area is the Polanco neighborhood (M: Polanco, line 7). Cartier, Hugo Boss, Louis Vuitton and other chic fashion retailers line nine blocks of Avenida Presidente Masaryk between Avenida Moliere and Avenida Tennyson, a stretch that is Mexico City's version of L.A.'s Rodeo Drive.
Spreading east from the eastern end of Chapultepec Park is Colonia Condesa (M: Juanacatlan, line 1), a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood filled with browsing opportunities. Some of the trendiest boutiques are concentrated near the intersection of avenidas Michoacán and Atlixco and along Avenida Tamaulipas. Avenida Michoacán also has retail outlets selling clothes and other merchandise.
Condesa's tree-shaded Parque México, with twin fountains and winding, bench-dotted walkways, is a pleasant spot to take a shopping break. The park is encircled by Avenida Amsterdam, a wide, lushly landscaped boulevard lined with handsome Art Deco-style homes and sprinkled with cafés and places to eat. Stop for coffee at Milo's, Av. Amsterdam #308, a casual bistro with sidewalk tables. Chocoholics will want to make a beeline for Tout Chocolat, Av. Amsterdam #154, where the decadent confections include brownies, salted caramel chocolate candies, mezcal-flavored truffles with sea salt and a rich, not-too-sweet, cinnamon-infused cup of Mexican hot chocolate.
East of Condesa across Avenida Insurgentes is Colonia Roma (M: Insurgentes, line 1), another trendy neighborhood known for its shops and local restaurants. The city's young hipsters flock to the 180 Shop , Av. Colima #180 (a block south of Plaza Río de Janeiro), for backpacks, skateboards, designer sneakers and cool clothes from up-and-coming young designers.
Hundreds of shops and vendor stalls line avenidas Juárez and Francisco I. Madero in the vicinity of the Zócalo. From the Zócalo west to Avenida Lázaro Cárdenas, every other side street is closed to traffic and paved with brick tiles. Government-run FONART stores sell a variety of arts and crafts from all over Mexico—rugs, glassware, folk art, pottery—at reasonable prices. A centrally located store, Tienda Juárez , is at Av. Juárez #89 (between Calle de Balderas and Avenida Humboldt), just west of Alameda Park (M: Hidalgo, line 2).
The Mexican restaurant chain Sanborns has numerous locations throughout Mexico City, including the flagship location in the House of Tiles and several along Paseo de la Reforma and in the Zona Rosa. Almost all branches have an attached store that is a convenient place to pick up toiletries and English-language publications, as well as quality craft items and ceramics. Many also have a pharmacy and an ATM.
Mexico City's suburban shopping malls require a drive, making them generally inconvenient if you're on vacation. If you love mall shopping, however, consider hiring a driver to take you there and wait while you look around.
Centro Santa Fe is on the city's southwestern outskirts at Av. Prolongación Vasco de Quiroga #3800, about 17 kilometers (10 miles) from downtown Mexico City. To get there, take Avenida Constituyentes to Paseo de la Reforma/Mex. 134-D/Mex. 15-D (toll), then take the exit marked “U Iberoamericana/Comercio Santa Fe.” It has nearly 300 stores, movie theaters, restaurants and play areas for kids.
Another big mall is Centro Comercial Perisur , one of the city's oldest. It's located in the southern suburb of San Angel, close to where the Periférico expressway crosses Avenida Insurgentes Sur (just south of the National University of Mexico). Centro Comercial Oasis Coyoacán , Av. Miguel Angel de Quevedo #217 (M: Miguel A. de Quevedo, line 3), is in the southern suburb of Coyoacán. This open-air mall has a food court and sit-down restaurants in addition to the usual mall franchise stores.
México está en los mercados. The soul of Mexico City can indeed be found in its markets; more than 300 of them operate in government-owned buildings, and this doesn't include the innumerable tianguis, open-air set-ups that operate on the same day every week. A trip to a market is one of the top things to do in Mexico City.
Foodies should head to the San Juan Market (Mercado de Curiosidades San Juan; the official name is Ernesto Pugibet), 4 blocks south of Alameda Park at Calle Ayuntamiento and Avenida Dolores (M: Salto de Agua, line 8). In business more than 150 years, it sells produce, fruit, cheeses and seafood—the fresh fish market is huge—as well as lots of imported items and exotic culinary products. Freshly butchered meats range from turkey, rabbit and goat to crocodile and armadillo. For tourists this a great lunch stop; numerous food vendors dish up all sorts of authentic specialties, from pozole to tortas. It's open daily 7-5.
The city's biggest food market is the La Merced Market , about six blocks southeast of the Zócalo between Anillo de Circunvalación and Calle Rosario (M: Merced, line 1). The huge building is divided into sections focusing on specific items or foodstuffs. Here vendor after vendor sells nothing but nopal (cactus pads) or chicharrónes (fried pork rinds). Other areas specialize in wedding decorations, cooking utensils, shoes and clothing. It's definitely not a tourist attraction, but the sheer scope of the commerce (mountains of candy, enormous bags of potato chips) makes it one of the fascinating and fun places to go for a full immersion in local culture. It's open daily 8-7; go during the day, as the neighborhood gets sketchy after dark.
Two blocks south of Mercado de la Merced on Calle Fray Servando Teresa de Mier (M: Merced, line 1) is Mercado Sonora , otherwise known as the “witchcraft market.” Stalls sell a mishmash of lotions, potions, colorful candles, charms, amulets, aromatic soaps and herbal remedies all touting success in business, good health, luck in love or stress reduction. There's a huge variety of medicinal plants, along with exotica like dried rattlesnake and starfish that are reputed to help relieve various ailments. You'll also find more utilitarian items like pottery, piñatas, toys and party costumes. It's open daily 10-7.
The Mercado Insurgentes de Artesanías y Platería fills an entire block in the Zona Rosa along Calle Londres between calles Florencia and Amberes (M: Insurgentes, line 1). This neighborhood crafts market has a maze of stalls selling everything from baskets and textiles to silver, pewterware, jewelry, sombreros and souvenirs. Bargaining is expected and good buys are possible, but most vendors speak little English so it helps to know some basic Spanish phrases if you plan on haggling. It's open Mon.-Sat. 10-7, Sun. 11-4.
Handcrafted items from all over the country are sold at the Mercado de la Ciudadela , about 5 blocks southwest of Alameda Park along Calle Balderas, between calles Ayuntamiento and Emilio Donde (M: Balderas, line 1). Covered booths display leather moccasins, Talavera pottery, custom-made stringed instruments and more. Some of the coolest items are vibrantly colorful, hand-carved wooden masks. If you travel to just one crafts market, make it this one. Most stalls have fixed prices. It's open daily around 10-7. There's a nice little plaza across the street from the market.
The La Lagunilla Market is two blocks east of the intersection of Lázaro Cárdenas and Paseo de la Reforma, bordered north and south by Calle Libertad and Calle López Rayón and east and west by avenidas Ignacio Allende and Comonfort (M: Lagunilla, line 8). A triple-domed building of enormous proportions, Lagunilla is especially busy on Sunday, when vendors from all over the city set up tables or booths to sell furniture, antiques, used clothing, vinyl records, old books, elaborate wedding dresses and housewares. You won't find souvenirs here, and watch out for pickpockets.
Silver fanciers should visit Tane , at the corner of Avenida Presidente Masaryk and Calle Edgar Allan Poe in the Polanco district. Jewelry, candelabras and museum-quality reproductions are all expensive but exquisitely crafted.
Mexican artists exhibit and sell their work at El Bazar Sábado (Saturday Bazaar) in San Angel. It takes place Saturdays from 10-7 in a beautifully renovated 18th-century mansion at Plaza San Jacinto #11 (M: Miguel A. de Quevedo, line 3), but usually spills out of it as well.
The emphasis here is on art and features works by a tightly knit group of contemporary artisans, some of them U.S. expats. Paintings, sculpture, ceramics, textiles, garments, rugs and high-quality jewelry are sold; prices are high, but so is quality. Search out the animalitos, bizarrely carved and painted wooden creatures for which Oaxaca is famous, and “Tree of Life” candelabras exploding with flowers, animals and other figures.
Gilded statues of the Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe and other Mexican patron saints are exquisite examples of handiwork and command high prices. More affordable merchandise—and a greater chance to bargain—can be found outside the bazaar, where merchants offer wooden toys, decorative gourds and beaded bracelets. Local artists exhibit their work, and the lively scene frequently includes dancers and other entertainment.