Sonora Market

Quirky, original, magical, exotic are the characteristics of this famous market located in the city center, open to the public since 1957.

Strolling through the bustling hallways is a unique and unforgettable experience. It is divided into two sections. Section 107 is packed with themed aisles full of craft stalls such as the famous Puebla ceramics, plates, bowls, Guanajuato jugs, traditional wooden, fabric or clay toys. You can also see live animals such as reptiles, fish, tropical birds, livestock, among others (always controlled by the authorities) and a lot of medicinal plants.

Section 108 is the most fascinating. It is the area of sorcerers, shamans, witches and wizards. Its stalls sell candles, healing plants, herbs, among other products related to superstition. Cards and skills in the field of warding off the "evil eye" can also be read.

It is one of the traditional sites for buying items related to the Day of the Dead, celebrated on November 2.

How it is organised. The market works by trade, and it helps to know that before you go in, because each hall is a different world. There are aisles of herbalists with medicinal plants arriving from Puebla, Morelos and the State of Mexico; party supplies —piñatas, papel picado, costumes, seasonal decorations—; ceramics, clay and planters brought up from Xochimilco; and live animals, the most contested part of the market and the one that draws complaints from animal welfare organisations. At the back of the longest hall is the esoteric section, with candles, amulets and figures of Santa Muerte and San Judas Tadeo.

The peak seasons. For Day of the Dead the market becomes one of the city's main supply points: cempasúchil marigolds, sugar skulls, copal, papel picado and everything an ofrenda needs. At Easter it sells the cardboard Judas figures traditionally burned on Holy Saturday. Part of the alebrije story also started here: the workshop of the Linares family, who popularised them, worked right beside the market.

Practical advice. This is a market to look at, not to rush through: the aisles are narrow and thousands of people come through at weekends. Bring cash, watch your belongings in the tight sections, and ask before taking photographs, especially in the esoteric aisles, where cameras are not always welcome. One important note: anything sold as a remedy is no substitute for medical care, and there is no evidence behind the curative properties attributed to several of the products here.

Getting there. It sits on Fray Servando Teresa de Mier, in Merced Balbuena, southeast of the Historic Centre. Merced metro station is a little over 300 metres away, and from there you can combine it with the La Merced market next door, the area's other great market.