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OAXACA

Oaxaca City's Natural Markets
by Ron Mader

MEXICO FORUM

Barriga llena, corazón contento
(A full stomach, a happy heart)
- Dichos


FEATURED SLIDESHOW: Markets

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Oaxaca City has a number of natural product markets and stores.

ESTACION - The Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday Tianguis Ecológico La Estación began in January 2007 at the old train station. (Photos) (Video)

MULTI-BIO - The Friday/Saturday Multi-Bio Cultural Organico Market, Garcia Vigil #702, began in the summer of 2005 as members who left the Pochote started their own market. (Photos)

PLAZA 8 REGIONES - The Plaza 8 Regiones opened in the summer of 2007. Located across from the ADO bus station at 5 de Mayo #1008, the market serves in-transit bus passengers and locals from the Jalatlaco neighborhood. The market debuted on February 16, 2008 and is open Monday-Saturday. (Video)

POCHOTE - The movement toward natural foods made a huge leap with the creation of the Friday/Saturday Pochote Market, Garcia Vigil #817, began in November 2003. It was a nursery of sorts for other markets that followed. Many of the Pochote members have left or have been exiled for reasons explained in our feature. In 2008 the market continues, without tables, without coffee, without hot food. It's a back-to-basics movement and we'll keep track of the progress. (Photos)

STORES

Many of the venders have created their own natural food stores, including Xiguela, Hidalgo #105 (photos), Yunhiz, Gonzalez Ortega #400, Pochotita, Tamayo #814 (photos), Casa de Angel (on the east side of Conzatti Park), Café Orgásmico, Allende #107 (photos).

Other stores focus on crafts, such as Blackbox, 5 de Mayo #412, (photos) which promotes a fair trade policy. This store joins a long list of favorite places which have long showcased Oaxaca's impressive folk art.

Outside of town the Mixe-owned Ayuuk store on the east side of the plaza in Santa María del Tule celebrates its second anniversary in March 2008.

WHO SELLS

Many of the markets impose a limit on the number of venders of a particular product. None of the markets, so far, have made display their rules to the public, which makes this a confusing issue.

CERTIFICATION

One of the questions that has come up is whether products are organic.

Certification remains a tricky subject. It is very expensive for producers and it rarely explained to buyers. The focus is mostly on the products, not the market itself. Consequently, while purchased goods made be organic, markets lack recycling.

At the Pochote partners certified themselves in 2006. There was no participation from clients. In 2007 about half the members agreed to a new program. Certification in both cases focus on whether the products are organic. It does not review distribution nor recycling.

The biggest problem for clients is that rarely are the processes explained. Outside of constancias, there has been little public documentation.

A FEW WORDS ABOUT HONEY

Cooperatives have formed in the past few years that attempt to provide higher income for members. One example are the honey producers, who sold their raw goods at 15 pesos a kilo. The honey was sold at 70 pesos a kilo or combined with other products as 'mermalada de elote.'


AUTHOR

Ron Mader is the Latin America correspondent for Transitions Abroad and host of the award-winning Planeta.com website.


REFERENCES

g Agriculture
g Markets
g Mexico Markets
g Market Days in Oaxaca
g Responsible travel photography

OAXACA MARKETS

g Oaxaca City Markets
g Oaxaca Market Project
g Artesania
g 20 de Noviembre
g Benito Juárez
g Sánchez Pascuas
g Oaxaca City's Natural Markets
g Pochote
g Kiosko
g Plaza 8 Regiones (Flickr) (YouTube)
g Multi-Bio Cultural (Flickr)
g La Estación (Flickr) (YouTube)
g Abastos
g La Merced

FLICKR

g Oaxaca Markets
ONLINE FLICKR

WIKI

g Oaxaca Wikispace
ONLINE WIKI

VIDEOS

g 1st Aniversario - Tianguis Ecologico La Estacion
g Flor de Maguey
g Caldo de Piedra
b Composting in Rojas
VIDEO

www.flickr.com


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