First visit to the Nuevo Mercado in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán

The Nuevo Mercado in Pátzcuaro has been in the works for a while now. Maybe a couple of years? Maybe more? (UPDATE: I found an article noting when the project started, which was just about two years ago.) It opened up about one week after our more recent trip in April, so we could only see the outside and peek in from the perimeter. I was skeptical. The old market was a bit chaotic, but had that 'authenticity' that people seek and romanticize. Informal stalls lining the streets, with plastic tarps strung up on all sides to protect from sun, rain, birds, what have you. You can find more pictures in the google maps listing of the old market. I'm sure I have a few in my photoroll from years past, but cannot find them quickly. So I will borrow this one for reference:

(Image source: Everardo Guadalupe)

The old market had everything you can find in most good Mexican mercados. Fruit & veg. Carnicerias. Taco stands. Jugos y licuados. Clothes, shoes, housewares, etc., etc., etc. We wouldn't visit during every trip to Pátzcuaro, but we would walk through it often enough. Sometimes picking up a purple sweet potato to bring home. Once to buy rain boots during a particularly rainy stretch with flooding streets all about. The old market would blur lines between market stalls and the shops lining the streets that radiate out from the market location. The whole area was, in my mind anyway, just part of 'the mercado'. So I think of the B2B snack snop that sells giant bags of chicharon and cheez poofs as part of the mercado (that bag of cheez poofs we bought turned out to be a not-great decision).

Back to the current story ... For the past two years much of the mercado was relocated to the plaza chica. That situation was objectively a mess, so by comparison the nuevo mercado would be an improvement. My concern as nothing more than a regular visitor to town was that the new market would be another step down a path towards contrived, charmless homogeny. In just the 10 years we've been coming through it feels like there have been a lot of changes. A couple / few boutiquey hotels opening up, like El Eden. Some chic, sophisticated cafes, bakeries, and shops. I know things evolve and that managing 'progress' is tricky. But it does feel like the genuine character and 'alma' that justified the city's selection as a pueblo mágico, the vibe that attracted travelers to experience the 'magic', is at risk of becoming a bit stagecrafted for tourists. Admittedly it's a long way off from feeling like an Epcot version of Pátzcuaro. And some of these new places are undoubtedly good additions. But others, like the complex at Casa Musi, for example, feel like an unnecessary step in the wrong direction. The collection of little restaurants and Don Gennaro's hot chocolate shop that were in that corner building previously had charm and appeal that can't be concocted in the brainstorming session of some rich family's LLC (or whatever the Mexican equivalent is).

All that is semi-relevant preamble to say I was dubious about the nuevo mercado. And at this point all I have had is one limited first impression. Let's see how I feel next year after another 3 or 4 visits. But my first impression is that it is a net positive.

The streets that were once blanketed with informal puestos spreading out in all directions are now tidied up.

Stepping in from one of the entrances you can see it's still not fully ramped up. But we were also there fairly early in the day. Around 10am. So it could also be that not everyone had opened up for the day yet.

It's a multi-level deal with an attractive atrium of sorts.

So we headed up to see what was what. More shops and a nice view of the lower level.

All the way up top there is a pedestrian bridge connecting the two buildings. There are a number of food stalls up there that will likely be a very cool place to enjoy some tacos with a view. But today was early and cloudy. So we snapped a few pics and kept it moving.

We went up via the stairs, came down via the ramp, and did note they have an elevator. So it's relatively accessible, though the one elevator was pretty small.

Net - I'm cautiously optimistic. We'll be back out there in October and will have to check out the upper deck's food hall for lunch and report back.