Commerce is an inherited talent that people from Oaxaca practice persuasively nowadays, showing off pride for the high quality of their products. The Oaxacan society has developed upon an intense commercial exchange between all the ethnic groups. The most colorful evidence of this exchange is the markets, center of social interaction and a peculiar cosmic vision; the synthesis of a whole different world, unusually rich in nature and culture.
The heart of Oaxaca beats to the rhythm of the market hubbub, with markets in a different town every day, very close to the city. Inside the capital, there are three permanent markets where you can find the same products that are sold in the surrounding ones. So visiting a market during your stay is not only obligatory, it is unavoidable. Inside, you will find countless beautifully handcrafted objects for everyday use and typical products from the eight regions of the state such as textiles, fruits, vegetables, flowers, chocolate, cheese, grasshoppers, meat, wood and metal objects.
Oaxacan shopping options are ample. Plaza del Valle is the pioneer in the modern mall concept and it includes famous national department stores, modern boutiques, a food court and a movie complex that plays the latest hits of the big screen. Going out shopping in Oaxaca is like traveling back in time.
Benito Juarez Market
Located in a 19th century building with art-nouveau influences, this area has always been a market since the colonial period. All regions of Oaxaca are represented in the dozens of alleys with more than 700 stands. Look for the products that make Oaxaca famous throughout the world: textiles, chocolate, mole and mezcal. You can not leave without a sample. Get these items in one of the many shops in Oaxaca.
Itinerant Market
Mondays in Miahuatlan offers lots of everyday use objects made out of clay, wood, metal and plastic. Tuesdays in Zimatlan, you can admire and buy wood furniture. Wednesdays in Etla you can discover the origin of delicious and famous Oaxaca cheese. On Thursdays, Zaachila reunites farm produce vendors from the Central Valleys. Fridays in Oacotlan, there are cotton textiles, immortal flower handcrafts and green clay from Atzompa, among other products. Saturdays in the city of Oaxaca, you will find many products from all over the state. And last but not least, on Sunday, Tlacolula is the showcase for Teotitlan and Santa Ana del Valle textiles. All these markets are an important part of Oaxaca shopping.
Plaza del Valle
Plaza del Valle is a very popular site for weekend strollers, locals and visitors alike. You can find just about everything here: the latest fashion, perfumes, shoes, food and fun. In a nutshell, it is a modern mall in a big city sort of way.
Grocery Center
Located on the east side of the city, the Central de Abastos (literally the ''Center of Supplies'') is a modern market and was built to decongest the traffic that the city suffered at one point. It is big and it offers an ample range of products, such as fresh produce, flowers, candy, food among other things, at market prices.