Mercado San Juan de Dios in San Miguel de Allende

Mexican Markets

Markets are the heart of every Mexican town. Not only do they serve as places to do your grocery shopping but they also serve as community centers where you go to meet with friends and to eat a meal.

Vendor Selling "Nopal" at the Mercado San Juan de Dios — Vendor Selling “Nopal” at the Mercado San Juan de Dios

A Visual Walkthrough

Take a visual walkthrough of the Mercado San Juan de Dios, one of the two principal traditional markets in San Miguel de Allende. The photos were taken on an early January morning just as the market was coming to life for the day.

Greens For Sale at the Mercado San Juan de Dios

Woman Shopping at the Mercado San Juan de Dios

Food Stalls

Every market has food stalls which are worth a visit for great homestyle meals at very reasonable prices. One of the specialties at Doña Raque is pancita, a dish similar to menudo.

Doña Raque Food Stall at the Mercado San Juan de Dios

"Pancita," One of the House Specialties — “Pancita,” One of the House Specialties

Cook in the Kitchen at The Doña Roque Food Stall — Cook in the Kitchen at The Doña Raque Food Stall

In the Kitchen at the Doña Raque Food Stall at the Mercado San Juan de Dios — In the Kitchen at the Doña Raque Food Stall

Another Food Stall at the Mercado San Juan de Dios

Fruits and Vegetables Displayed for Sale

Displays

The displays at the market are always a visual treat. There is a saying in Spanish, “de la vista nace el amor” which roughly translates as “love begins at first sight.” Competition at every market is stiff and each vendor works hard to entice you.

Fruit and Vegetable Vendor at the San Juan de Dios Market — Fruit and Vegetable Vendor

Prepared Foods For Sale at the Mercado San Juan de Dios — Prepared Foods For Sale

Cleaned Nopal For Sale at the Mercado San Juan de Dios — Cleaned “Nopal” and “Tunas” For Sale

Have you ever cooked with cactus or cactus fruit? Try one of these recipes: cactus salad, cactus fruit pico de gallo, or sour cactus fruit agua fresca. Learn how to clean cactus fruit.

Take a look at the beautiful bright orange habanero peppers. Try one of these delicious salsas that use them: pineapple habanero salsa and habanero salsa.

Visiting the Market

If you are interested in visiting the San Juan de Dios market, it is located about six blocks and a 10-minute walk from the “Jardín,” the main Plaza in San Miguel de Allende. The address is Indio Triste 14B. The hours are 9:00 am to 8:00 pm daily.

Pictures of the San Juan de Dios Market by Andrés Carnalla.

Other Mexican Markets

Comments

Lori Alcala says

February 03, 2015 at 4:34 pm

What a colorful journey through the market! I can just smell the sweet fruit, and the wonderfully cooked meals. I live in San Miguel, and in some ways, seeing the market in pictures shows its beauty even more than being there in person.

Thanks for the visual tour!

James says

November 15, 2016 at 7:32 pm

Is there a tattoo artist / body piercer in San Juan de Diosmercado