This is the Mexico City that exists whether or not anyone is visiting: wholesale markets at dawn, street stalls that have fed the same corner for thirty years, neighbourhood festivals that are religious events rather than performances. These twenty-four ideas go there.
The markets. La Merced, one of the largest in the Americas. Jamaica, which is the flower market and is at its best before eight in the morning. Sonora, where herbal medicine and ritual goods are sold alongside toys. Each is a place of work first and a sight second.
The food. Eating on the street is normal here, and the rule is simple: go where there is a queue and where the turnover is high. San Pedro Atocpan, in Milpa Alta, is the mole capital of the country and worth the trip south.
The traditions. Holy Week in Iztapalapa draws hundreds of thousands and has run since 1843. The new fire on the Cerro de la Estrella, the chinampas still farmed in Xochimilco, mariachi at Garibaldi. These are not shows: behave as a guest.
Practical notes. Carry cash and small change, carry little else, and keep your phone away in crowded markets. Go early. And ask before photographing people.
