Ciudadela Market
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The Ciudadela Market is a traditional style Mexican market which specializes in the sale of Mexican handcrafts and folk art, located in the southwest corner of the historic center of Mexico City. The market is the first of its kind in the country, established just before the
1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...
to promote this aspect of Mexico's cultural heritage. It is home to over 350 vendors, mostly small operators selling to Mexican and foreign tourists.


The site

The market is located in the Ciudadela (citadel) neighborhood, which is in the southwest corner of the historic center of Mexico City, 15-minuteswalk from the Alameda Central, near Metro Balderas. The market and neighborhood are named Ciudadela after a building which was constructed in the late 18th and early 19th century, and influenced the austere architecture of the area. The building was originally constructed to be the Real Fábrica de Tabaco, a tobacco factory under the control of the Spanish monarchy. Originally designed by a military architect and during the
Mexican War of Independence The Mexican War of Independence ( es, Guerra de Independencia de México, links=no, 16 September 1810 – 27 September 1821) was an armed conflict and political process resulting in Mexico's independence from Spain. It was not a single, co ...
, the factory was made a citadel in 1816, used to imprison rebels such as José María Morelos y Pavón and kept its military function into the early 20th century. During the
Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution ( es, Revolución Mexicana) was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from approximately 1910 to 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It resulted in the destruction ...
, it and its adjoining plaza were the scene for various events of the Decena Trágica and afterwards it was declared a national monument in 1931. The building was converted to its current use, as the Library of Mexico in 1944, later named after José Vasconcelos, remodeled in 1987 and 2011. The neighborhood maintains much of its traditional architecture, with the plaza hosting various markets and danzon dancing to live music on Sundays. The plaza and surrounding streets are also known to be an area for men and women looking to casual sex at night (not prostitution), despite efforts by the city to discourage the practice. The handcraft and folk art market is a more recent addition to the neighborhood, located on a site on the north side of the Ciudadela Plaza, an area also known as the Plaza de San Juan.


Operations

The market is home to over 350 vendors from twenty two states of Mexico. Most of these are small operators, and many accept only cash. They represent the nearly twelve million people in Mexico that depend on crafts for their livelihood, many of them women. It was the first market of its type in Mexico, with the purpose of promoting crafts as part of Mexico's cultural heritage. It is heavily visited by both Mexican and foreign tourists, doing most of its business during vacation periods. It has one of the most complete selections of Mexican handcrafts in the country. Wares include clothes,
alebrije Alebrijes () are brightly colored Mexican folk art sculptures of fantastical (fantasy/mythical) creatures. Description The monos de madera or alebrijes as they are called in Spanish were originally created by carver Manuel Jimenez but soon becam ...
s, furniture, jewelry, glass,
textiles Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...
, ceramics, hammocks, tile-framed mirrors, silverware, cartonería, rugs, trays from
Olinalá Olinalá is a city and seat of the municipality of Olinalá, in the state of Guerrero, south-western Mexico. Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía. Principales resultados por localidad 2005 (ITER). Retrieved on December 23, 2008 It is ...
, sombreros and musical instruments.


History of the market

The market was established in 1965 as part of preparations for the 1968 Summer Olympics, when the Mexican government convened artisans from all over the country to bring their handcrafts to the city to demonstrate them for the event at the site. For the
1970 FIFA World Cup The 1970 FIFA World Cup was the ninth edition of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's senior national teams. Held from 31 May t ...
, the same site was used to promote souvenir sales. The success of both of these ventures led to the construction of a permanent market. While many of the vendors have been at the site for decades, the legal status of the building is in question. In the 1960s, the site belonged to the
Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...
, with Mexican president Gustavo Díaz Ordaz ordering that the land be used for the market for the Olympics. The site was then administered by the
Mexican Senate The Senate of the Republic, ( es, Senado de la República) constitutionally Chamber of Senators of the Honorable Congress of the Union ( es, Cámara de Senadores del H. Congreso de la Unión), is the upper house of Mexico's bicameral Congres ...
which then turned the market over to the government of Mexico City, which still administers it. As of the 2010s, sales at the market have fallen by as much as sixty percent, according to vendors, because of a falloff in tourism in Mexico. In 2011, the Mexican Senate considered selling the land, valued at between 100 and 120 million pesos, to raise money for the new Senate building. These have prompted vendors at the market to press for judicial turnover of the building and land to the vendors themselves, and to have the Mexico City government renovate the site, making it more attractive to tourists.


References

Retail markets in Mexico City Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City Historic center of Mexico City {{Coord, 19, 25, 49.41, N, 99, 8, 55.04, W, display=inline,title