Three hundred stalls of craft from every state in Mexico, at fixed and fair prices, in one covered hall.
La Ciudadela brings together around 350 stalls selling craft from across Mexico, in a covered market beside the Plaza de la Ciudadela.
It exists because Mexican craft is regional and dispersed — the good silver is in Taxco, the black pottery in Oaxaca, the lacquer in Michoacán, the Talavera in Puebla — and few visitors can travel to all of it.
What is sold
Talavera from Puebla — tin-glazed earthenware in blue and white and polychrome, with a protected designation of origin. Genuine Talavera Poblana carries a certification mark; a great deal of what is sold as Talavera anywhere is not.
Barro negro from San Bartolo Coyotepec, Oaxaca — burnished black pottery.
Alebrijes — the carved and painted Oaxacan animals, in copal wood.
Textiles — huipiles, rebozos, embroidered blouses from Chiapas and Oaxaca, and blankets from Saltillo and Teotitlán.
Silver from Taxco, stamped .925. Check for the stamp.
Huichol beadwork and yarn paintings, made by pressing beads or yarn into beeswax.
Leather, guitars from Paracho, copper from Santa Clara, lacquerware, papel amate, catrinas and masks.
Buying well
Look at the back. Hand embroidery has visible stitching and slight irregularity; machine work does not, and machine-made huipiles are widely sold as handmade.
Ask where it is from. Good stallholders know the village and often the maker.
Silver should carry the .925 stamp. Talavera should carry the certification if it claims to be Poblana.
Prices are marked and fair. Bargaining is much softer here than at a street market — asking for a small reduction on a multiple purchase is normal and expected, pushing hard is not.
Where else
The Museo de Arte Popular shop is smaller, more expensive and better curated, with everything attributed to the maker. If you want one very good object rather than several, buy there.
Bazar Sábado in San Ángel, Saturdays only, is the upmarket craft and art market and is genuinely excellent.
Mercado de Artesanías de Coyoacán is smaller and more relaxed.
La Lagunilla on Sundays is the flea market — antiques, junk, furniture and a great deal of nonsense, with a serious antiques section. Watch your pockets; it is famous for pickpockets.
Practicalities
Open daily, roughly 10am to 7pm. Cash preferred though many stalls take cards.
Shipping can be arranged by the larger stalls for bulky ceramics; ask before buying something you cannot carry.
Balderas metro is two minutes away.
