Lucas de Gálvez Market: a Yucatecan trading tradition

For many years, the Lucas de Gálvez Market has been fertile ground for buying and selling fresh, natural produce, tended by the very hands that sell it.

The secrets held by this old building make it one of the most emblematic in the history of trade in the state.

Inside you will find some of the best examples of Yucatán’s culture, tradition, customs, art and food.

Mérida has plenty of markets where tourists and locals alike can stock up on food, home decor, clothing, crafts and everyday goods.

The Lucas de Gálvez Market is part of the history of Yucatán and a leading player in the buying and selling of every kind of proudly Yucatecan product.

The market opened on 16 September 1887, though back then it was known simply as the “Gálvez Market”, in honour of governor Lucas de Gálvez.

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The market, in Mérida’s historic centre on Calle 65A, has been demolished three times in efforts to expand it and make more room for the thousands of visitors who gather in its aisles every day.

The first restoration took place in 1909, when a sheet-metal and masonry roof was added — a benefit at the time to the traders with stalls in the market.

Years later, in 1948, the market was renovated again to expand the site and, once more, adapt it to what the stallholders then needed.

A place dear to the hearts of thousands of meridanos, the Lucas de Gálvez Market has almost any item you might need.

For tourists it is the ideal place to get a closer look at the culture and traditions of Yucatán.

Walking the aisles, you can see up close the variety of fruit and vegetables grown in the region, compare prices and ask the sellers anything you like.

It is also a tourist draw to take in the colours, the accent, the clothing, the sounds and the distinctive flavours of the state and its people.

It is an adventure that begins as you step into the market and ends with a shift in the thinking of those who manage to capture a piece of the Yucatecan essence through contact with the stallholders.

Lucas de Gálvez Market: Yucatecan history, culture and trade

For those who have made their life in Yucatán, a visit to the market is perhaps a must at least once in a lifetime.

For many, Mérida’s markets are a chance to buy the best products at the best price, giving work to hundreds of the region’s artisans, farmers and traders.

In the stalls of the Lucas de Gálvez Market you will find footwear for every taste, budget and need.

Once there, you may want to pick up souvenirs of your trip to Yucatán for the whole family.

The market offers a wide range of embroidered clothing and traditional Yucatecan dresses at a fair, accessible price — perfect for taking home a memento of your stay.

If food is your thing, the aisles hold a whole universe of vegetables, seeds, spices, meats and fruits grown by local farmers who travel long distances every day to bring the public the best produce.

Of course, your visit cannot end without trying one of the traditional dishes cooked inside the market.

It is an experience that will let you appreciate, up close, the flavours and colours of the people of Yucatán.

Tzic de venado, a traditional Yucatecan dish.

To reach the Lucas de Gálvez Market you have to venture into the most hidden streets of the centre… only joking.

The market is on Calle 65A, next to the old post office and one corner from Eulogio Rosado park.

It was once a splendid area called the Paseo de las Bonitas, though the ravages of time have turned it into what we know today.

Don’t leave without trying salbutes and panuchos, turkey broth, relleno negro, chocolomo and traditional Yucatecan sweets such as papaya candy and meringues. You won’t regret visiting the Lucas de Gálvez Market of Mérida.

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