Mercado de Tepito

What it is. The largest street market in the city —kilometres of stalls spilling through the streets of Tepito, the barrio immediately north of the Historic Centre. Clothing, electronics, trainers, jewellery, toys, tools and second-hand goods of every kind; the volume and the bargaining are the spectacle, and the barrio's own identity, fiercely held, is part of it.

Go in with your eyes open. Tepito has a long-standing reputation for pickpocketing and for counterfeit and untraceable goods, and it is the one market in the city where a visitor should be deliberate: go in daylight and preferably with someone who knows it, carry only the cash you intend to spend, leave jewellery, watch and passport at the hotel, keep your phone out of sight, and do not photograph stalls or people without asking. Do not buy electronics here expecting a warranty.

Practical notes. Trading runs roughly 11:00–18:00 and the market is closed on Tuesdays. It spreads along Eje 1 Norte; Lagunilla and Tepito stations on metro Line B are the access points. For a calmer version of the same experience, the La Lagunilla flea market is a few blocks west.