Loud, completely overcrowded and absolutely chaotic and confusing. That’s how I would describe the market directly on the Zócalo. Well, it’s not on the Zócalo, but it really does start directly in a street leading away from the Zócalo.
And to go even further, I think this market reflects the vibe of the city best of all the markets I’ve been to in Mexico City. And I’ve been to quite a few.
You are constantly bombarded by market criers, offers, music, people talking, the honking of cars and the general background noise, you don’t know where to look because there is something different on offer everywhere, you constantly have to be careful not to run over someone or get run over and within a very short space of time you completely lose track and lose your bearings. It’s pure sensory overload.

It is…. Just like Mexico City itself. Mexico City is loud, chaotic, the traffic drives you crazy, people and things to look at are everywhere and everything is very… confusing and chaotic. And yet everything works and is perfectly organised and correct. 😀 Fascinating, in my personal opinion. To be honest, the whole of Mexico is like this, but in Mexico City it’s expressed in an extreme way that you don’t realise before. That’s why there’s a saying that when you visit Mexico City, you’ll either hate it or love it. And the market right by the Zócalo is exactly the same.

I’ll be honest. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the entire market – and I’ve certainly tried. Simply because I really couldn’t get an overview no matter how much I wanted or tried. You don’t want to know how proud I was when I found some shop or some corner again where I had seen something I liked, when I wanted to buy something after all – I’m the type of person who thinks it over and then comes back again. Not a good idea in a confusing Mexican market 😀 And it’s also the only market that fascinated me so much that I took videos because I felt I couldn’t really put the atmosphere into words.

So, go or not go? Since I LOVED Mexico City and this market – yes, I had a long love-hate relationship with Mexico City, but what can I say, I’m a big city girl and love the chaos – I would advise everyone to walk through this market once or even several times 😀 And yes, even if you don’t like chaos, noise, confusion and people. Because…. It’s an experience and, in my opinion, you’ll get to know Mexico City and also a bit about the country, how it works and its culture. And yes, I say that even though it’s actually ‘just’ a market 😀 😊