Supermercado Sweep

Of the many, many cultural aspect of Guatemala I love, one of my favorites is going to the Market (mercado or mercadito). While I have not been seriously shopping to a mall in nearly a year (other than Christmas in the U.S., and European stores), I have come to love going to Guatemalan mercados! There are many things I love about market shopping, and I just had to share them.

Textiles

At first, James and I both found the bright and patterned cloth from Guatemala a bit tacky or overly colorful for our polite color choices in our home. Before becoming a fan of the Guate textiles, I more enjoyed soft colors like light green, tan, or white. Putting something wildlycolorful on the table or wall seemed too bold. Now that I have seen all that goes in to creating these textiles, I am in love with them all, and love looking at them at the markets! Not a mercadito trip goes by without discovering a new beloved pattern, color choice, or item covered in the textile that I would like to own.

Everything can be purchased with some sort of textile on it: purses, CD cases, headbands, photo frames, notepad covers, shoes, belts, etc. Whatever you would like, you can get. And if you can't find it, you can just buy the cloth yourself and make it at home! Our good friend Kari loves to sew, and she is currently in the process of making us something out of colorful cloth we recently purchased.

In the States, it seems everything is becoming so similar...you can go to Kansas City, Little Rock, Chicago, or Joplin and find the same stuff in the same stores or restaurants. Kohl's, Wal-Mart, Target, Gap, Starbucks, Applebees. Borrrinnng! In Guatemala, each indigenous group and/or department (sort of like a state) has their own textile design and colors that they wear and use in their decorating. At the mercado, you can see and buy from all of the different geographical areas and indigenous groups that are very distinct and therefore very fun to look at and choose from when you shop! For example, my favorite department's designs/colors is the Todos Santos part of Guatemala. I love the bright blues, pinks, and purples, and the stripes/geometrical designs.

Bargaining

Part of the fun of the market is knowing that you can bargain on everything. Everything! James and I have been here long enough to know what a fair price is for different items, and so we are good at getting that price. It's fun to use our Spanish to bargain, and fun to shop around and get the best deal possible at the market. It's also fun to get even better deals based on the more you buy at one stand. Wouldn't it be nice in the grocery store or mall if, when you bought more you got everything at a better price? It's fun at the market!

I was trying my hand at selling this bright
blue fabric...I think the owner was much
better at his craft, but it was fun to try!

Myriad of Markets

Not booths sell the same items, either....

Spices & Peppers



Flowers

Fabric

Leather Goods

Masks

Wooden Toys

Beans
(protected by statues of saints no less)

Fruit & Veg

The Sightings

Every visit to the market is different. You are bound to see something you have never seen before, and may never see again; market visits never fail to create an adventure! Some of my favorite sightings are the following:

Dyed/colored baby chickens being sold like goldfish. When a Guatemalan buys one, the chick gets put in a small plastic baggie and tied up to be taken home. We never quiet figured out why the chicks were dyed different colors.

The blind man with a clairvoyant snake:
He can tell you the date you'll die or what you are eating for lunch.

Use your imagination here!

Half a side of a cow hanging upside down at a butcher's stand. No refrigeration necessary. Barf bag not included. [No picture included. You're welcome.]

An entire stand dedicated to selling fried food.
We can't believe there are that many foods that can be eaten fried!

Women walking around with anything you can imagine on their heads.
A classic: enough taquitos to feed an army

Something for Everyone

The main cathedral at the Zone 1 Guatemala City market square

Que rico!
Lunching at a market food stand
(some things are worth the risk!)

One of the best parts about going to the market is that (whether you were planning on it or not) you will buy something. If you are like me and don't like to walk away from your shopping experience empty-handed, you will also love the market. Even if you only have a few quetzales, you can find something to purchase. Each time I leave the market, I look to add to my growing collection of Guatemalan memories of the market! It's a really fun way to shop and see the creative and colorful talent that Guatemalans have to offer!