Mexico City Markets

Mexico City runs on its markets, and they come in tiers. Central de Abasto on the eastern edge is one of the largest wholesale markets in the world, moving a substantial share of the country's produce through an area the size of a small town. La Merced is the enormous retail descendant of the old colonial market, a chaos of chillies, moles and dried goods. San Juan is the specialist hall where restaurant cooks buy: exotic meat, imported cheese, and the insects, escamoles and chapulines, that visitors come to photograph. Jamaica sells flowers by the tonne, Medellín serves the South American communities, and Coyoacán's is where to eat a tostada.

What you actually see

• Mercado de San Juan - the specialist hall of exotic meat, cheese and insects.
• La Merced - the vast retail market of chillies, moles and dried goods.
• Mercado de Jamaica - flowers by the tonne, open around the clock.
• Coyoacán market - the tostada counters that queue down the aisle.

When to go

Year-round, best in the morning when everything is fresh and the food counters are running; most wind down by mid-afternoon. Jamaica flower market is at its most extraordinary before Day of the Dead and in the days before Mother's Day, when it works all night.

Honest expectations

La Merced and the area around it are crowded and pickpocketing is common, so carry little and stay aware; the Central de Abasto is a working wholesale operation and not really set up for visitors at all. Insects at San Juan are priced for tourists at the front stalls. Market food is generally safe at busy stands with high turnover, less so at quiet ones.

Nearby

The historic centre is walkable from La Merced and San Juan; Coyoacán is south.