What this section covers. Where to buy things in Mexico City — which in practice means four very different circuits, and knowing which one you want saves a wasted afternoon.
Crafts and folk art. The Ciudadela market is the single most comprehensive place in the country for crafts from every state, with haggling expected and cash preferred. The Museo de Arte Popular shop is smaller, dearer and reliable on provenance. For alebrijes, the Mercado de Sonora sells the papier-mâché originals, invented a few streets away in La Merced.
Markets. La Lagunilla on a Sunday for antiques and second-hand; San Juan for specialist ingredients, where the chefs shop; Jamaica for flowers, best before eight in the morning; and the Mercado de la Merced, one of the largest in the Americas.
Design and fashion. The Roma and Juárez for independent Mexican designers, concept stores and bookshops. Polanco, and Avenida Presidente Masaryk in particular, for international luxury.
Shopping centres. Centro Santa Fe, Perisur, Antara and Mitikah are the large ones; they are useful for a rainy afternoon, for cinemas and for predictable sizing, and they all have ample parking.
Practical notes. Markets are cash and haggling; shops and malls take cards. Ask about shipping before buying anything fragile. And remember that almost everything closes later here than in Europe — malls run to 21:00 or later.
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