THE MARKET OF PATZCUARO

(photo: entrance to market at Codallos and Ramos)
This post had its origin in the public speculation and political activity over the past year around getting vendors off the street. It is difficult to get a straight answer but it seems that Pátzcuaro has been under pressure to “clean up” the streets in order to maintain its status as a “pueblo magico”, a designation which provides substantial money for local improvements. Two large building have been built in the past three years apparently designated as the new home of some of the vendors. There is no doubt that there are a very large number of street vendors in the town. (A newspaper recently suggested there were 2,000.) They are clustered around the Basilica, on many street corners, in the middle of blocks, the portals of the main plaza, and other places. There is a weekly market of indigenous goods in a plazuela close to the centre every Friday. During Semana Santa vendors arrive on the street running along this plazuela, carry in sufficient firewood for two weeks and begin to cook and sell sweet corn and tomales. During the Day of the Dead celebrations there is a large public market for artisans in the main plaza, this is repeated for Three Kings Day and again for Semana Santa. Until last year the annual fair (with a substantial mid-way) positioned around the fiesta for Guadalupe was located on a wide street running along side of the Basilica and the spill over from this was substantial. Until last year vendors were allowed in the smaller plaza and this was only allowed after a strike by the small buses and then the arrival of heavily armed police. For many these vendors are what give the pueblo its character (its magic) but clearly for others they are seen as a problem. With this in mind I felt it important to document the main fruit and vegetable market although I don’t think this market is in danger. But what if I am wrong and it is gone next year. (As I post this the government has been able to keep street vendors from the newly renovated plaza and negotiations are underway to clear others.)

Outdoor markets are very common in Mexico and go back many centuries. The Aztec word for these markets was “tianguis” and this is till used. So we are about to enter a large tianguis. Before we enter here is a brief summary.

Stalls on the streets and passageways of the area: 300
Stalls on the interior market (under a permanent roof): 113
Along the divider between the upper and lower part of interior 20
Stalls clustered around the Plaza entrance to the market: 45
Stalls clustered around the Codallos entrance to the market: 25
Stalls on the portals of the small plaza: 50
Giving us a grand total of 520 stalls. This must be the original department store

Now if we express this in meters we find the outdoor market covers about 0.9 kilometers
and the indoor market covers about 0.6 kilometers . So, a walk through might take a journey of 1.5 kilometers.

If we imagine the stalls all placed end-to-end they would cover 3.0 kilometers.

Now, we are standing at the corner of Codallos and Ramos and about to enter the market. Look around: along Codallos there are 2 regular trucks selling produce and 5-10 women sitting on the sidewalk and selling a few things from their yards perhaps. At the corner there are fresh flowers, in late afternoon and evening a hot food stand and on busy days a man with live chickens, quail or turkeys. On the opposite side are a few temporary looking (covered) stalls selling fruit, canes, fire starters, mortars and pestels, chocolate whips, dried corn leaves and dried fish. Just behind these stalls are 3-4 stand-up hot food stands and 3 more stalls selling low fired pots, dried fish (in short, many things for rural people). Continuing along Calle Codallos there are baskets of dried fish, 4-5 women sitting on the street selling fresh fish, a mobile stand selling hats, scarfs, and on occasion a hot food stand. This is now the entrance to the templo. Note: along Calle Benito Juarez you will find 2-3 locations that seem to serve as warehouses for produce and a woman selling cut fruit. At the back of all of this is a basketball court which on Tuesday and Friday serves as a flea market with up to 50 people displaying their goods laid out on the court.
Now we are ready to enter the main food market. The major section of the market is temporary in the sense that it occupies a public road so vendors must clean up each night and reassemble their stalls each morning. They all place plastic tarps over their stalls usually of quite different colours. Because this is a street there are regular stores (tiendas) behind the tarps and sometimes there are sidewalks. I do not describe these stores but there are about 18 stores along the Calle Codallos section (one of these entrances opens to an arcade with a further 10 stores) and another 28 along the lower part of Libertad section and an additional 18-20 on the upper part. The vendors on these streets each pay a small fee to display their goods. In 2010 I think it was 10 pesos per day. A government official arrives each day to issue small paper permits. There is also a large covered area creating a permanent market and this will be described later. On our right ...

cut fruit (ready for a snack)
fruit
cut fruit
vegetables
fruit
vegetables
fruit
fruit
fruit
fruit
vegetables
on ground: fish, peppers
clothing store with clothing
hair supplies dollar store
cloths
On the other side we find:
diapers
on ground: nopales
on ground: nopales
on ground: nopales
fruit
tissue and paper products
dried goods (peppers, seed, spice...)
dried goods
dried goods
clothing
on ground: fruit
fruit
large bags of munchie foods store
prawns fish store
fruit
fruit
fruit
cut fruit
vegetables
on ground: nopales (cactus leaves)
temporary hot food cart

We now turn right along an aisle that comes out at Plaza Chica. There are goods on each side of the aisle with a few stores on the right side and on the left side another aisle behind the one we are on. Many of the stalls in this area have some protection from the elements.

on ground: few household goods, bread, honey
on ground: clothing
food stall
pails store with household goods
fruit, nopales
underwear store with underwear
clothing
clothing
clothing
on ground: beans
clothing
clothing
clothing
clothing
bedding
household goods
clothing
tortilla maker
clothing
clothing store with clothes
household utensils fabric store
clothes
store
on ground: baskets
clothes
tortilla maker
barber
clothes
bathrooms
dollar store tortilla maker
dollar store
shoe store
shoe store
dollar store
dollar store

beyond this there are a variable number of hot food stands and then the plaza. If we now turn around and retrace our steps, but looking at the other side, we see...

hot food stall
clothing
clothing
barber
shoe repair
eye glasses
hats
shoe repair
(not set up)
(not set up)
dollar store
on ground: hats
watches, etc
tools
children’s clothing (an entrance to interior market)
dollar store
pans
tools
CDs
CDs
clothing
clothing
on ground: nopales, root vegetables
clothing
clothing
clothing
flowers
shoes
threads
Note as we walked up this aisle, all of which was under tarps, you will have noticed that there was another aisle running parallel and this contained about 20 stalls selling clothing.

shoes
flowers
clothes
clothes
small plastic stuff
?
on ground: 4 vegetables stalls
clothes
shoes
odds & ends
odds & ends
small hardware things
fish
3 hat stalls
baskets
sun glasses
watches
belts

We now turn right and proceed further along Calle Codallos and go deeper into the market

plants
underwear/socks
fruit
underwear
pig products (heads, feet, stomach, entrails, ears, etc.)
vegetables
vegetables
vegetables
dried goods (peppers, beans, spices)
clothing
clothing
vegetables
fruit
fruit
fruit
fruit
on ground: fish
dried things
dried things/tomatoes
vegetables
vegetables
vegetables

We are now at the intersection of Calle Codallos and Calles Libertad. If we turn left we arrive at a small hill which is another entrance exit to/from the market. On this short section you will find.

shoes
fruit
vegetables
vegetables/dried things
CDs
root vegetables
fruit
pineapples
shoes
drink stand
fruit/roots
fruit
fruit
vegetables
shoes
dried foods
cut fruit
dried foods
fruit
fruit
fruit
fruit
A side streets cuts off here
vegetables
vegetables
vegetables
vegetables
now a section with boxes or bags of fruit or vegetables -- like wholesale goods.
stand with watermelons
about ten handcarts and another 12 large push carts with men for hire to push vendors’ products into the market or to to take a large amount of shopping to your home or restaurant. There are also 4-5 trucks parked here with goods. The meat trucks also park here and the pork and beef carcases carried into the market on men’s backs.

Now we retrace our steps to the main intersection, and continue down calle libertad

dried foods
hot food
shoes
vegetables
vegetables
vegetables
vegetables
vegetables
fruit/vegetables
vegetables
vegetables
car abandoned from last night and now covered with corn
vegetables
oils/salsas/dried goods
vegetables
vegetables
vegetables
vegetables
vegetables/seeds/beans
vegetables
clothing
hot peppers
vegetables
on ground: two women selling nopales This is an entrance to the interior market.


If we had been looking to our left we would see

dried goods
hot food stand
shoes
clothing
vegetables
vegetables
jeans
vegetables
vegetables
vegetables
jeans
roast chickens
CDs
roast chicken
sewing patterns/threads and more

There is a side street now with small market section: It contains:

baskets
vegetables
on ground: vegetables
?
fish
cheese
herbs, flowers
vegetables
hot foods
clothes
herbs
on ground: vegetables
on ground: vegetables
on ground: vegetables
chicharon (pork rinds)
on ground: vegetables
vegetables
vegetables
hot food
vegetables
vegetables

Now retrace our steps and continue down Calle Libertad
dried goods
hot food stand
shoes
vegetables
vegetables
vegetables
fruit/vegetables
vegetables
vegetables
not yet occupied
not occupied
fruit
CDs
dollar store
bedding
CDs
on ground: sweets
hot food
?
shoes, few flowers
kitchens things
kitchen things
kitchen things
entrance to interior market
fruit
shoes
clothes
clothes
straw things, spoons
(not set up)
assortment, kids things
clothing
clothing
Jewelry
on ground: baby chicks, few foods
(not set up)
dollar store
tools

We are now facing Plaza Chica. Before leaving look around the Plaza and see what you need. You will find
9 shoe shine stands
4-5 stands selling shrimp cocktails
2 mobile ice cream stands and then squeezed around the entrance to the market
jewelry
flavored ices
on ground: hats
on ground: beans and seeds
nopales
plants
carved spoons
t-shirts
cut fruit
tomales
hot food
pails/toys
clothes
hat
underwear
plants
straw goods
2 food stands
clothes
fruit (often very Mexican items)
fruit (often very Mexican items)
straw goods
vegetables
dried seeds and beans
jewelry
4 tables you can sit down at and eat

In the evening about 4 large tables appear along with propane fires and what are called “plaza chickens” are prepared - a large piece of chicken, onions, and vegetables all prepared on very large comals. On the opposite side of Plaza Chica you will find 4-5 more tables set up on the side walk serving the same dishes. Under the portal on the west side of the plaza you will find another 20 stalls selling things like, CDs, breads, sweets, magazines, newspapers, watches, and so on. Then, under the portal on the south side of the plaza you will find another 25 stalls selling things like CDs, traditional clothing, rebozos, newspapers, hot food.

Let’s turn and retrace our steps and go back up Libertad and look on the right, we have

clothes (hand made), baskets
toys
hats, bags
on ground: food, nopales
on ground: breads
jewelry
jewelry
hair products, toilet paper
underwear
underwear
hangers, soaps, cleaning agents
vegetables
vegetables
fruit
clothes
slippers
shoes
bags
fruit
fruit
candy
honey
fresh cheese
CDs
medicinal herbs


Before leaving the outdoor market it should be note that the goods of these stalls change through the season. For example around Christmas many stalls appear selling mangers, animals for your manger, moss to place in the manger, Christmas lights. etc. Sugar cane also arrives close to Christmas and is piled high close to one entrance. There are also many mobile stands moving through the aisles selling batteries, puddings, drinks, honey, hot corn kernels in a cup, ice cream, and much more. As well there are often beggars, sometimes with no legs, deformed hands or a little crazy.

Now we must go into the covered market, a very large space which was partially damaged in a 1995 propane fire. This market has two parts, the upper part covering approximately 40 meters by 50 meters(2000 square meters). The second part, almost two-thirds of the interior, is 100 meters by 50 meters (5000 square meters).
Here is the appearance of the upper parts (West portion).
13 butchers
12 stalls with fresh chickens
6 stalls selling hot carnitas
1 stall selling lamb
1large flower stall. There are also piñatas in this area.
3 women sitting and selling fresh tortillas, gorditas, etc.
1 stall selling dried products
4 stalls with fresh vegetables and on occasion others sit in the doorway
several places to sit and have some hot food
medicinal supplements, etc.
5 stalls with dried goods
plastic dishes for fiestas
stand with sandwiches and drinks
stand with jewelry
2 stalls with a variety of goods including pails of lard, pails of moles, etc.
needlework supplies
toys/shoe laces
and in the south-west corner a bathroom and a large area serving food.

There is a passage way between the two halves and a change of levels. This area is often occupied by women selling tortillas, cheese, avocados, and much more. On the day I observed there were
4 shoe stalls
sweets
avocados
8 clothing stalls
toys
and women selling tortillas and nopales

Now to the larger half of this enclosed market. This is a complex structure of passageways so this description is not picture perfect.

along the north wall here are 16 stalls to sit and eat
on the east end there are another 8-10 stalls selling hot food
10 clothes stalls
threads
small household appliances
sheets of plastic
dried stuff
shoes
shoes
6 more shoe stalls
herbal medicines
knitting supplies
2 rebozo stores
2 stalls with wooden things (spoons, toys,..)
4 more stalls with wooden things
sweets
2 peanut stalls
4 more places to sit and eat
fruit

What a selection!

FRAGMENTS: DAILY LIFE, NUESTRA SENORA DE LA SALUD

Fragment #6 -- A day in Pátzcuaro. When we return to Canada from Mexico we are invariably asked, “What do you do there?”, or, “What would an average day be like?” There is of course no typical day, but the day described here is not uncommon.

Awakened by the sound of bottle rockets at about 5:30 am. Who knows what the celebration - it could be a birthday, but today it is most likely people starting to celebrate the day of San Jose (Joseph, the saint of families, carpenters and many other trades). 10:00 time to head to the plaza for the parade for the first day of spring. All of the pre-school children take to the streets dressed as birds, elephants, trees, butterflies and so on, often carrying signs urging the audience to look after the environment. The parade takes up 5 blocks and the traffic in the centre of town is shut down for 3-4 hours. Just as the adorable kids are beginning to disperse here comes a small procession with an image of San Jose, carried by, and followed by, a dancing group of Purepehca people. What’s this? About 100 motorcycles have roared into town and parked in the main plaza. It appears to be a club of BMW owners doing their spring ride. Lovely bikes and the riders all have matching sweaters identifying their ride. After an ice cream and a quick look around the plaza they take off, following their “staff” leaders. Home for a rest and then out for a free concert of classical music. There is also a free jazz concert that night but leave that for the next day. Walking home around 9:00 pm and the bells of Templo San Francisco are clanging loudly and urgently. It is Friday, the second last before Good Friday , and the regular procession with an image of Jesus is proceeding from San Francisco to Templo Calvario, stopping at the stations of the cross. Next Friday there will be a fiesta at Calvario after the last procession prior to the fateful day. In the distance the sounds of people enjoying themselves flow down from La Loma, a neighborhood up the hill, for whom San Jose is their patron saint. Soon ready for another day.


# 7 Nuestra Senora de la Salud

Living in Patzcuaro, Michoacán necessarily means learning something about Neustra Señora de la Salud, the Virgin of Health. Her home is the Basilica, she is the Patron Saint of Pátzcuaro, a queen - having been crowned in 1899 with the authority of the Pope, the source of much religious tourism and the reason for many special masses and events. But there are at least two things about this Virgin that seem quite special. First, she is the first image of Mary actually made in the new world. Don Vasco de Quiroga ordered her fabrication in 1540 and she was made by the local indigenous artisans who were experienced in working with what is called pasta de caña. As I understand it this is created by mixing the dried and ground central part of a corn stock with pine pitch, giving a substance that can be shaped and even carved. (Her original shape was later altered to allow for the wearing of garments and this is what we now see.)

The other thing that many visitors do not know about the Virgin, is her miracle life. The miracle that interests me here is her saving of the local markets (two blocks from our house) and presumable lives during the 1995 fire. In the section of the market serving hot foods and drinks a propane tank exploded, soon engulfing the surrounding stalls and part of the building itself. People ran in panic and gave up hope of extinguishing the fire (note there is still only a volunteer fire department but one day they demonstrated their ability to put out a propane tank). In this chaos a woman appeared dressed in black clothing - she was unknown to anyone. She approached the fire and put out her hands, demanding the fire to stop. She gradually lowered her hands into the fire. The fire went out. The next day people noticed that the hands of the Virgin of health, located in the Basilica, were a little charred and then, to lend credence to the miracle story, the restorers found they could not remove the darkened parts of her hands.