Mercado de Jamaica
3 Guillermo Prieto 45, Jamaica, Venustiano Carranza, 15800 Ciudad de México, CDMX
5557410002
The paradise of flowers may very well be the Mercado de Jamaica (“Jamaica Market”) where the abundance of flowers and colors is simply overwhelming, it is the main flower market in the city and is visited by many tourists who wish to get a glimpse of a typical bustling Mexican market with the special addition of beautiful fragrant flowers filling the air with their natural fragrance. Each of the major markets in Mexico City that were inaugurated in 1957 tends to have a specialty, such as the Mercado La Viga which is known for its seafood, the Mercado Sonora which is known for its herbal remedies and its natural products used in occultism, the Mercado de San Juán and its exotic cuts of meat; and as part of that, the Mercado Jamaica was to be known as the market specializing in flowers and plants.
The Mercado Jamaica sells about 5,000 types of these flowers and plants that arrive from other states such as Puebla, Veracruz, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Estado de Mexico, and Michoacán. Florists and other retailers come here for wholesale prices, but you can make your purchase of one bouquet of flowers if you wish, and also many of their flowers and plants are exported to other countries such as the United States. The market’s specialized selection is certainly an allure that keeps clients coming back, it also has available plants that are indigenous to Mexico and can’t be found in any other place in the world.
The total number of vendors at the market is around 1,150 with 40% of those selling flowers, 25.5% selling flower arrangements, and about 4.3% selling pots and other gardening accessories; and as is customary with every major market in the city, regardless of their specialization, you’ll find fresh produce, meats, and dairy. The market has its own Metro station “Jamaica” which is located 1 block from the market.
The area that now occupies the Mercado de Jamaica was the eastern shore of the island that was occupied by Tenochtitlán (and its northern neighbor Tlatelolco), facing the Lake of Texcoco. Trade and commerce have been going on in this area since at least 1500, back when the zone was located in a chinampa, the man-made islands that allowed gardening in the lake, and this market site was visited by hundreds of canoes and barges carrying their product to the larger market in the center of the Aztec city. By the XIX century, these chinampas were just reduced to dry land and the canals stopped flowing, nevertheless, the area remained a commercial hub of the city, culminating in the opening of the Mercado de Jamaica in 1957 that we know today.
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