There are few things I like better, at home and on the road, than a colorful local farmer’s market and I know I’m not alone here in that regard. So shortly after my arrival in Chiapas I headed up the hill to scope out the main market in San Cristóbal de las Casas. I’m pretty sure I took a wrong turn and what I found wasn’t encouraging, a dark damp passage with people selling things and the feeling I didn’t belong there. I made my way to the far end, found the road back to familiar territory and never went back.
Below, favorite bakeries on or around the corner from Real de Guadalupe.
The good news is Centro has any number of small shops for fresh vegetables and fruit, cheese, meat and baked goods, much closer than the market to the places I stayed during my month-long visit. Every neighborhood has family-run corner shops for items not sold in the specialty shops. I did not suffer.
Also on the great pedestrian street, Guadalupe, a great selection of cheeses.
As I do at home I had toast and tea every morning before I headed out, then lunch in any of a number of favorite spots. Bread, cheese, fruit and vegetables were the staples for my simple breakfasts and dinners. My 2 favorite bakeries were on or very near Real de Guadalupe, the pedestrian street that runs east from the zocalo and was a pleasant thoroughfare without cars to get me where I wanted to go. The cheese shop was on Guadalupe, traffic on the street began again as Guadalupe met Diego Dugelay and a left turn there landed me in front of my go-to produce shops.
All my favorite produce shops on Avenida Diego Dugelay.
When I go back to San Cristóbal I plan to walk up and over the hill again and find out where I went wrong. I know there’s a big market up there somewhere and I intend to find it. But if I don’t, or if I find it’s too far to go, I know I’ll be perfectly content to buy my groceries again from these small shops. Either way, the bread and vegetables will be fresh, my small budget more than enough and one cannot ask for more.
Find all episodes of ‘A Month in Chiapas’ here.
More PortMoresby stories here.
