Mercado de Artesanias

tmhhmt
First Reviewer
4 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
3
Reviews
7
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Home Furnishings: Shop Until You Drop

  • January 12, 2008
  • Rated 4 of 5 by bettybetty10 from Dallas, Texas
I really loved the Mercado de Artesanias for authentic Mexican crafts. It's quite large and spans several blocks, perfect to wander with a coffee in hand for a morning/afternoon for a couple of hours. Make sure you bring enough cash!!

Home furnishings are really the big buy here - there are gorgeous tiled mirrors, wall hangings, colorful embroidered placemats and blankets, ceramic and wooden bowls and kitchenstuffs, vases, dolls and more. Some of the stuff is quite large, and possibly breakable, so make sure you plan for shipping or carrying accordingly.

There are also many stands that sell silver jewelry, although i didn't find anything especially unusual. These stands also sell things like colorful plastic tote bags (with Frida Kahlo appliques), woven bags, and other trinkets. Along the way, there are also real storefronts with other crafts and antiques, so don't miss those!

Bargaining is not very effective here at the market, although you may be able to get a small volume discount. It is more expensive than the street markets you find in Mexico City, because San Miguel de Allende is more of a tourist destination. However, everything you could possibly want is all in one place and the variety is amazing.
Editor Pick

Shopping Well at Mercado de Artesanias

  • April 21, 2005
  • Rated 4 of 5 by sararevell from London, United Kingdom
Shopping Well at Mercado de Artesanias

Walking up Lucas Balderos, you’ll find the artisan market. It’s a narrow, colourful street that ends at the food market along Colegio. Along the way, you can pick up a wealth of souvenirs and can usually bargain if buying multiple items from the same stall or if you’re paying cash for something more expensive. We picked up some picture frames, glassware, and a painting on bark. There are also quite a few jewelry shops, especially around Jardin Principal, if you’re looking for silver pendants and earrings.

The food market is a labyrinth of stalls where fruit, flowers, and other produce are stacked high above your head. There’s also a food court area where you can buy snacks and fruit juices. We stopped at one stall selling freshly squeezed fruit juices - mango, papaya, melon, pina, fresa, manzana, mamey, guayaba, limon, naranja, and zanahoria (15 pesos for a large fruit smoothie), which are made on the spot. In the food market, they also sell a variety of bags with Mexican designs and photographs on the front (70ps). We got one to carry our gifts home in, and the bag itself is a great souvenir.

From journal Eat, shop, and sleep well in San Miguel de Allende

Editor Pick

El Mercado de Artesanias

  • December 19, 2001
  • Rated 4 of 5 by tmhhmt from los angeles, California
El Mercado de Artesanias

The city will supposedly only rent a stall at this market to artisans - and yet you can buy everything from the usual tourist crud (postcards & salt shakers) to what appear to be handcut tin ornaments. There is truly a ton of silver jewelry, beaded everything, hand painted pottery and papier mache, and cast recycled aluminum - my favorite buy was a large round aluminum plate with a dozen egg shaped cavities - can't wait to spring that one on the family this Easter.

The market runs at an angle down three or four blocks and you can enter it at several spots - on Loreto, on Reloj and on Hidalgo. There are signs on the buildings nearby pointing the way. If you are at the Jardine, just walk north on Reloj and you can't miss it.

From journal Day of the Dead in San Miguel De Allende

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