The weekend before last we went out to Tlacolula, a nearby town, for the big Sunday market. From what we have read, this market draws tens of thousands of people from the surrounding communities each week, and what we saw seemed to agree with that assessment. In addition to the normal market building filled with panaderias, vegetable vendors, butchers, and comedors, there was block after block after block of people with temporary stands set up. And it even bled into the large (and beautfiul) churchyard where vendors were walking around and setting up their wares for sale. And they were selling everything you can think of -- handmade clothes, cheap t-shirts, tamales, sandals (hooray!), weavings, toys, fruit, knives, ice-cream, wood-carvings...it would probably be easier to list the things they didn't sell rather than the things they did sell.
We even bought a handwoven hammock to replace the one that we bought in the Yucatan seven years ago that has outlived its time. And we had a very nice conversation with the woman who sold it to us and wove it.
Even compared to the other market experiences we have had here in Oaxaca, and we have had many, the Tlacolula experience was quite interesting. At one point, Kay suggested that comparing the market to a Super Walmart would be both the best comparison she could think of and the worst, and I think that hit the nail on its head.
PS - If you go to the market, it is well worth searching out Comedor Mary for lunch, which is one of the storefronts on the outside of the market on the side facing the church. I am sure that other comedors are equally tasty, but I would happily vouch for Mary's mole, which was among the best we have had in Oaxaca, which made last weekend a very good weekend for mole.
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