3rd grade Spanish homework help...Mercado in Mexico?

Question

My son wants to do his Spanish project on shopping (Mercado) in Mexico...I feel like I have been searching and searching for either the history of it or just something to give me more an educational side of it. I feel silly for asking this, but I am just stumped. Anything that can point us in the right direction is greatly appreciated!

Answer 1

If you want to learn more about the history of the mercado or tianguis, please visit the links I have included.

Also, the "mercado" is the marketplace or produce market, and you find those in every city, town or community in Mexico.

I found this other website that is awesome! it even has pics of current markets and gives you a description of one of Mexico City's most famous markets

http://www.mexicanmercados.com/essays/1day_pix.htm

http://www.mexicanmercados.com/index.html

Answer 2

There is a well-known "mercado" in Puerto Vallarta called Rio Cuale.
Where I lived in Mexico, every Sunday morning there was a "tianguis" (pronounced tee-on-geese). A tianguis is like a market and they have everything there from fruits and veggies, make-up, shoes, clothes, "chafa" (burned, pirated) CDs, hair accessories. There are also little stands where you can have some tacos or get a cup of flavored water. People take their plastic bags www.magnificoimports.com/sunsmoons.htm and fill them up. Everything is CHEAP! Where I lived outside of Puerto Vallarta (and in PV) there are not a lot of what we call malls. They have a few department stores and the rest are little boutique like shops. These stores are for the "ricos" the rich people. I can't really think of anything "historical", and this info probably didn't help too much, but if you have any questions, please email me.

Answer 3

The tianguis (from nahuatl "tianquiztli") was a market shared by the people of Mesoamerica, it was established around 1338 dc and people got together to offer their products in a plaza.

El tianguis took place in the most important cities of the area, Huejotzingo, Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, Tlaxcala and Xochimilco.

Around 50 000 people visited the market (tianguis) to buy or sell products.

There were different products: vegetables, medical herbs, beans, corn, cotton, poultry, fish, minerals, axes, stoneware among others.

Judges helped to maintain justice during a commercial transaction wich were mainly done by exchange, one good for another good.

The most traditional mercados are normally full of color as you can see in some of the paintings of mexican artists like Rufino Tamayo or Diego Rivera. It is also common to hear traditional music of the region which is why the traditional tianguis is a great example of mexican culture.

Nowadays, the real meaning of the tianguis is lost, now all you can find are low quality products mainly made in China, and non original products which causes a great controversy in the country.

The inheritance of the tianguis is a mix of mercantile traditions of the prehispanic towns of Mesoamerica, including the aztec with the traditions from the middle east brought by the Spanish.

In a non official way, it is said that the biggest tianguis of the world is located in San Felipe de Jesus, to the north of te city of Mexico. Other famous tianguis is Tepito in Mexico DF (Federal District) and the one located in Jardines de Morelos in Ecatepec.

You can see a picture of an example of a mercado in this site:
http://www.mexicodesconocido.com.mx/espanol/cultura_y_sociedad/fiestas_y_tradiciones/detalle.cfm?idcat=3&idsec=15&idsub=68&idpag=2196

Some of Diego Rivera paintings:
http://www.iwm.com.mx/servicios/marlo/diego.html

Some of Rufino Tamayo paintings:
http://www.geocities.com/cesarth15/mapa_tamayo_1.html

Answer 4

Mercado means 'market'. Maybe if you look for tiendas or comprando, you'll find more?

Anyway, you could try this link:
http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/North_America/Mexico/Shopping-Mexico-BR-1.html

I don't think it's exactly what you're looking for but you might find something interesting.