The Mercado Central de Maputo (the Maputo Central Market in English) is a

market Market is a term used to describe concepts such as: *Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand *Market economy *Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market *Marketing, the act of sat ...

in the centre of

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

’s capital city of

Maputo Maputo () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mozambique. Located near the southern end of the country, it is within of the borders with Eswatini and South Africa. The city has a population of 1,088,449 (as of 2017) distributed ov ...

. It is well-known for its design, which dates back to around 1900. The market is also called the "Bazar da Baixa" (downtown bazaar).

History

In 1900, the colonial administration of

Portuguese East Africa Portuguese Mozambique () or Portuguese East Africa () were the common terms by which Mozambique was designated during the period in which it was a Portuguese Empire, Portuguese overseas province. Portuguese Mozambique originally constituted a str ...

opted to expand the capital, then known as

Lourenço Marques Maputo () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mozambique. Located near the southern end of the country, it is within of the borders with Eswatini and South Africa. The city has a population of 1,088,449 (as of 2017) distributed ov ...

. This involved further

urbanization Urbanization (or urbanisation in British English) is the population shift from Rural area, rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. ...

of the coastal zone near the city, including construction of a new market in front of the gates of the city, not far from the

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

facilities. In 1900 the project was given to the Portuguese company David & Carvalho, who commissioned the architect Carlos Mendes (1869-1922) with the design. It is said that Mendes based the design on

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

’s Alsterpavillon. A large entrance portal with a small tower formed the central access to a large, covered market hall. Small arched niches provided space for fixed sales facilities. To the north, Mendes designed an adjacent open market space. On 19 September 1903, the 18 stalls of the market, consisting of 6 butchers, 6 grocers, 3 fruit shops, 2 bakeries and a bar, were sold. The building was opened on 30 September as "Mercado Municipal Vasco da Gama" in honour of the Portuguese

navigator A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation.Grierson, MikeAviation History—Demise of the Flight Navigator FrancoFlyers.org website, October 14, 2008. Retrieved August 31, 2014. The navigator's prim ...

and explorer

Vasco da Gama Vasco da Gama ( , ; – 24 December 1524), was a Portuguese explorer and nobleman who was the Portuguese discovery of the sea route to India, first European to reach India by sea. Da Gama's first voyage (1497–1499) was the first to link ...

. From the 1930s, the market began to be called into question on the grounds that, in the face of urban development, it had ceased to be central. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, it was widely agreed that the market was not very aesthetic and was doomed to disappear. However, in 2001, building rehabilitation work was started with the eventual addition of over 150 stalls by 2013. Unfortunately, the construction of a multi-storey car park in 2008 had led to a loss of visibility for the market.

References

{{Reflist, 1 Retail markets in Mozambique History of Maputo