Mexico Info
Joined: 01 Dec 2006
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Home Country: mexico
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 Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2006 9:34 am Post subject: SHOPPING IN MEXICO / MEXICO SHOPPING GUIDE |
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SHOPPING IN MEXICO (MEXICO CITY & GUADALAJARA)
MEXICO CITY
From handicrafts to the finest in designer apparel, Mexico City, like any major metropolitan area, is a marvelous place for shopping. From malls to mercados, numerous places display fascinating native products and sophisticated goods.
The two best districts for browsing are on and off Avenida Presidente Masaryk, in Polanco, and the Zona Rosa. Polanco's shops include Burberrys of London, Christian Dior, Gianni Versace, Gucci, Hermès, Luis Vuitton, Giorgio Armani, Tiffany's, and Cartier. Think New York's Madison Avenue, Beverly Hills's Rodeo Drive, or Chicago's Mag Mile, and you'll get the picture. The 12 square blocks at the heart of the Zona Rosa are home to antiques shops, boutiques, art galleries, silver shops, and fine jewelers. A few unique shops deserve particular mention.
Several government-run shops and a few excellent private shops have exceptionally good collections of Mexico's arts and crafts. Here's the rundown on the best places to shop, from small crafts shops to vast general markets.
Music
Sanborn's, the popular Mexican variety store, with locations throughout the city, carries an excellent selection of traditional and popular Mexican music in most of its larger stores.
Jewelry
Dozens of jewelry stores and optical shops are on Madero from Motolinia to the zócalo, in the portals facing the National Palace. Nacional Monte de Piedad/National Pawn Shop, also opposite the National Palace, has an enormous jewelry selection. The first Latin American branch of Tiffany's is on Avenida Presidente Masaryk in Polanco.
GUADALAJARA
Many visitors to Guadalajara come specifically for the shopping in Tlaquepaque and Tonalá . If you have little free time, try the government-run Instituto de la Artesanía Jalisciense, González Gallo 20 at Calzada Independencia (tel. 33/3619-4664), in Parque Agua Azul, just south of downtown. This place is perfect for one-stop shopping, with two floors of pottery, silver jewelry, dance masks, glassware, leather goods, and regional clothing from around the state and the country. As you enter, on the right are museum displays showing crafts and regional costumes from the state of Jalisco. The craft store is open Monday through Friday from 10am to 6pm, Saturday from 10am to 5pm, Sunday from 10am to 3pm.
Guadalajara is known for its shoe industry; if you're in the market for a pair, try the Galería del Calzado, a shopping center made up exclusively of shoe stores. It's on the west side, about 6 blocks from Minerva Circle, at avenidas Mexico and Yaquis.
Mariachis and charros come to Guadalajara from all over Mexico to buy their highly worked belts and boots, wide-brimmed sombreros, and embroidered shirts. Several tailor shops and stores specialize in these outfits. One is El Charro, which has a store in the Plaza del Sol shopping center, across the street from the Hotel Presidente Inter-Continental, and one downtown on Juárez.
To view a good slice of what constitutes the material world for most Mexicans, try the mammoth Mercado Libertad downtown. Besides food and produce, you'll see crafts, household goods, clothing, magic preparations, and more. Although it opens at 7am, the market isn't in full swing until around 10am. Come prepared to haggle.
Packing It In--If you need your purchases packed safely so that you can check them as extra baggage, or if you want them shipped, talk to Margaret del Río. She is an American who runs a large packing and shipping company at Juárez 347, Tlaquepaque (tel. 33/3657-5652). Paying the excess baggage fee usually is cheaper than shipping, but less convenient.
Tlaquepaque & Tonala
Almost everyone who comes to Guadalajara for the shopping has Tlaquepaque (tlah-keh-pah-keh) and Tonalá in mind. These two suburbs are traditional handicraft centers that produce and sell a wide variety of artesanía (crafts).
Tlaquepaque--Located about 20 minutes from downtown, Tlaquepaque has the best shopping for handicrafts and decorative arts in all of Mexico. Over the years, it has become a fashionable place, attracting talented designers in a variety of fields. Even though it's a suburb of a large city, it has a cozy, small-town feel; it's a pleasure simply to stroll through the central streets from shop to shop. No one hassles you; no one does the hard sell. There are some excellent places to eat (see "Where to Dine," earlier in this chapter), or you can grab some simple fare at El Parián, a building in the middle of town that houses a number of small eateries.
A taxi from downtown Guadalajara costs $5, or you can take one of the deluxe Turquesa buses that make a fairly quick run from downtown to Tlaquepaque and Tonalá..
The Tlaquepaque Tourism Office, Juárez 238 (tel. 33/3635-1220, ext. 104 or 113), has a helpful, English-speaking staff. It's open Monday through Friday from 9am to 3pm. Most stores in Tlaquepaque close between 2 and 4pm and stay open until 7 or 8pm. Most are closed or have reduced hours on Sunday.
If you are interested in pottery and ceramics, two museums are worth a visit. The Regional Ceramics Museum, Independencia 237 (tel. 33/3635-5404), displays several aspects of traditional Jalisco pottery as produced in Tlaquepaque and Tonalá. The examples date back several generations and are grouped according to the technique used to produce them. Note the crosshatch design known as petatillo on some of the pieces; it's one of the region's oldest traditional motifs and is, like so many other motifs, a real pain to produce. Look for the wonderful old kitchen and dining room, complete with pots, utensils, and dishes. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10am to 6pm, Sunday from 10am to 3pm; admission is free. The Museo Pantaleón Panduro (tel. 33/3635-1089, ext. 17) is at P. Sánchez 191, at Florida. It is a must-see. Named after a famous local 19th-century artisan, it displays prize-winning pieces from the national ceramics contest held each year in Tlaquepaque. Many of the pieces exhibit an astounding virtuosity. Categories include miniatures, traditional designs, and original designs. It's open Tuesday through Sunday from 10am to 6pm; admission is free. If you still haven't had your fill, the Museo Nacional de Cerámica is in Tonalá .
A number of workshops permit visitors to watch artisans at work. A popular workshop is La Rosa de Cristal, Contreras Medillín 173, a glassblowing factory. It's open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 7pm. If you're interested in a particular craft, talk to the city tourism office; the staff can help locate workshops that are open to the public.
The following list of Tlaquepaque shops will give you an idea of what to expect. This is just a small fraction of what you'll find; the best approach might be to just follow your nose. The main shopping is along Independencia, a pedestrian-only street that starts at El Parián. You can go door-to-door visiting the shops until the street ends, then work your way back on Calle Juárez, the next street over, north of Independencia.
Tonalá: a tradition of pottery making--Tonalá is a pleasant town 5 minutes from Tlaquepaque. The streets were paved only recently, and there aren't any fancy shops. The village has been a center of pottery making since pre-Hispanic times; half of the more than 400 workshops here produce a wide variety of high- and low-temperature pottery. Other local artists work with forged iron, cantera stone, brass and copper, marble, miniatures, papier-mâché, textiles, blown glass, and gesso. This is a good place to look for custom work in any of these materials; you can locate a large pool of craftspeople by asking around a little.
Market days are Thursday and Sunday. Expect large crowds, and blocks and blocks of stalls displaying locally made pottery and glassware, as well as cheap manufactured goods, food, and all kinds of bric-a-brac. "Herb men" sell a rainbow selection of dried medicinal herbs from wheelbarrows; magicians entertain crowds with sleight-of-hand; and craftspeople spread their colorful wares on the plaza's sidewalks. This is the place for buying sets of margarita glasses, the widely seen blue-rimmed rustic glassware, as well as the pottery typically associated with Mexico and finely painted petatillo ware.
The Tonalá Tourism Office (tel. 33/3683-1740; fax 33/3683-0590) is in the Artesanos building, set back from the road at Atonaltecas 140 Sur (the main street leading into Tonalá) at Matamoros. Hours are Monday through Friday from 9am to 3pm, Saturday from 9am to 1pm. The office offers free walking tours on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday at 9am and 2pm, Saturday at 9am and 1pm. They include visits to artisans' workshops (where you'll see ceramics, stoneware, blown glass, papier-mâché, and the like). Tours last 3 to 4 hours and require a minimum of five people. Visitors can request an English-speaking guide. Also in Tonalá, cater-cornered from the church, you'll see a small tourism information kiosk that's staffed on market days and provides maps and useful information.
Tonalá is also the home of the Museo Nacional de Cerámica, Constitución 104, between Hidalgo and Morelos (tel. 33/3683-0494). The museum occupies a two-story mansion and displays work from Jalisco and all over the country. There's a large shop in the front on the right as you enter. The museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 10am to 5pm, Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 2pm. Admission is free; the fee for using a video or still camera is $8.50 per camera. |
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