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Cancún

As is to be expected in this international tourist hotspot, Cancún offers an impressive array of luxury shopping opportunities in well air-conditioned malls and shopping plazas.

Artesanías are a bit more expensive in Cancún than elsewhere in the country, as they are not widely produced here. There’s a good selection of silver jewelry, handicrafts, traditional clothing, and much more at the Mercado Veintiocho (Market 28), also known as the Mercado Municipal. Located in downtown Cancún, it’s a great place to find a deal. Ki Huic (on Avenida Tulum), a large outdoor market, is also located downtown. Shy away from purchasing products made with tortoiseshell, as the tortoises are an endangered species.

In the main hotel zone, the zona hotelera, prices are naturally a bit higher, so if you decide to explore Coral Negro, an open-air market, keep that in mind when bargaining with the vendors. Kukulcán Plaza is a large American-style shopping center with several hundred stores and restaurants. You will find few uniquely Mexican products here, as the focus is on well-known international chains and brands. Don’t miss the Huichol collection, which features spectacular artwork – mainly carved wooden figures covered in beads and beadwork – created by the Huichol Indians of the state of Jalisco.

Plaza Caracol, in the main hotel zone, offers a wide variety of high-end stores and boutiques, including Gucci and Cartier. Plaza Flamingo is home to the large Planet Hollywood restaurant/shop, and Maya Fair Plaza, the oldest mall in town, has several comfortable restaurants for al fresco dining. Many duty-free shops throughout the zona hotelera offer designer apparel, cosmetics, and liquor at discounted prices.

Cozumel

This small island offers plenty of shopping, concentrated in the downtown area. As the majority of these stores count on the cruise-ship business, souvenir shops tend to be crowded when the ships dock. However, most of the stores are open fairly late, giving you ample opportunities to avoid the crush and explore them at your own pace. Great deals on silver jewelry can easily be found here, especially after the cruise ships have set sail.

A number of duty-free stores offer high-end items, including perfumes and cosmetics. There are many stores that sell resort wear, and some of them are quite fashionable, including Poco Loco and Viva México.

For traditional artesanías, head to Avenida Rafael Melgar, where you can walk the cobblestone streets and find some great items along the way. Cozumel’s crafts market is located on Calle Sur right behind the main plaza, and features a good assortment of handicrafts. Los Cinco Soles on Melgar and Calle 8 Norte is a fantastic place to purchase artesanías from all around the country.

Resist the temptation to buy anything made with black coral, as it is an endangered species.

-- By Dagmar Jenner

 

Guadalajara, the capital of the state of Jalisco, is the nation’s capital for pottery and ceramics and home to many master craftsmen. If gorgeous hand-painted works of art, expertly crafted pottery, blown glass and hand-woven textiles are your thing, you will want to spend a lot of time here. You don’t even have to go far: Tonalá and Tlaquepaque are both part of the Guadalajara metropolitan area.

The crafts market at Tonalá is unparalleled, so give yourself ample time to walk around, explore, and comparison-shop. Most of the shops in this quiet area are concentrated on Avenida de los Tonaltecas and are usually open daily, but some are closed on Monday. Save some pesos, you might need to buy a new duffle bag to transport all your treasures. For new luggage or anything else you might need to pick up at a typical mall, head to Plaza del Sol in the Zona Minerva (also known as Zona Rosa).

Tlaquepaque’s malls and pedestrian-friendly plazas are filled with several hundred shops offering fantastic ceramics, hand-blown glass, wood furniture and much more. Famed Mexican sculptor and jewelry designer Sergio Bustamante owns Galería Sergio Bustamante here. Be sure to admire some of this extravagant, colorful and mystical creations. Tlaquepaque is also a fabulous place for a mid-afternoon stroll – with or without shopping bags.

Downtown Guadalajara is usually crowded with shops and street vendors, and Mercado Libertad is the best place to find all handicrafts under one roof. You are expected to bargain here, so don’t be shy if you want to get a good price.

-- By Dagmar Jenner

San José del Cabo is the place to go for artwork and eclectic handicrafts. However the majority are not made in the area, so the prices tend to be higher. The city’s art scene is slowly being developed, as evidenced by a small number of interesting galleries. ADD, an interior-design shop, offers hand-painted ceramics from central Mexico. For reasonable prices on handicrafts of all types (including pottery, jewelry, textiles and souvenirs), check out Curious Carmela on Boulevar Mijares.

As opposed to San José del Cabo, Cabo San Lucas has fewer options in terms of fine handicrafts. The open-air market at Plaza Papagayo is a popular tourist spot, but the market sells mainly basic souvenirs and plenty of beach resort staples such as T-shirts, mugs, and hats.

-- By Dagmar Jenner

Known for its spectacular, colorful outside markets that sell every imaginable artesanía and its high-end shopping, the nation’s capital is a true shopping paradise.

Zona Rosa (Pink Zone) has a good variety of leather-goods shops, art galleries, and boutiques. The Mercado Insurgentes is also located here, and it’s a fantastic place to shop for a wide variety of artesanías, including wood carvings, clothing, paintings on tree bark (amate), ceramics and traditional clothing.

Polanco, especially the area that includes Avenida Presidente Masaryk, is full of luxury stores, while the newly hip Condesa district is focusing on trendy boutiques.

If you are in town on a Saturday, don’t miss out on going to San Ángel, a gorgeous area in the southern part of the city. Stroll along the stands at the Bazar de los sábados held here every Saturday. Comprised of both inside and outside shopping stalls, the Bazar is a goldmine for original artwork, silver jewelry, leather goods, and crafts of all kinds.

Mexico City is home to some of the highest-priced and largest malls in Latin America, including Santa Fe (with more than 200 stores) and Plaza La Rosa in the Zona Rosa.

The Mercado Artesanal La Ciudadela located in the downtown area is an institution and one of the best places to find good prices on handicrafts in the entire city. 

-- By Dagmar Jenner

Acapulco

You won’t find too much in terms of original art in this legendary resort town, but there’s certainly plenty of souvenir shops where you can purchase tchotchkes for the folks back home (or even for yourself), and there is a good selection of well-known international stores. You can find some good artesanías at the covered stalls that comprise the Mercado de Artesanías in downtown near the zócalo.

Sanborns, the Mexican chain of department stores, which is good for everything from sunscreen to international magazines to cosmetics, luggage, and a small, but high-end assortment of handicrafts, has three locations in Acapulco.

For true shopping finds, take a day trip to the silver city of Taxco. Approximately four hours from Acapulco by bus, the high-altitude colonial city of Taxco sits on steep hills that offer fantastic views from almost every corner. Day trips are easily arranged through tour operators at most hotels. Walk on the cobblestone streets and linger in any of the several hundred silversmith shops, where you can find stunning pieces of jewelry at some of the best prices in the country. Taxco, with its many plazas and quiet streets, has a charming old-time Mexican feel to it.

Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo

Ixtapa isn’t much of a shopping mecca. It is still a relatively small resort town, and essentially all of the shopping is located right behind the main hotel zone, a stone’s throw from the beach. On Boulevar Ixtapa, there’s a collection of shops that focus mainly on vacation clothing, including T-shirts and a best-of collection of Mexican handicrafts. Most of the high-end hotels offer fine selections of exquisite handicrafts at elevated prices.

Neighboring Zihuatanejo, which still feels very much like a charming fishing village, has a better selection of artesanías, concentrated mainly at the artisan’s market and the municipal market. You are expected to bargain here, so be sure to participate in this national sport.

Vendedores ambulantes – street vendors who offer their merchandise mostly on the beaches – also abound in Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo. They usually offer some interesting items, and they can get quite creative in customizing anything to your liking, so do some shopping while sipping your Dos Equis.

Manzanillo

Mananzillo, still somewhat of an undiscovered gem, doesn’t offer much in terms of shopping. However, both the Mercado Municipal and the Centro Artesanal Las Primaveras offer a large assortment of handicrafts, and there are a variety of shops on the central plaza. Essentially all of the hotels offer small selections of exquisite handicrafts, but they are priced accordingly.

Mazatlán

This resort town in northwestern Mexico offers a good selection of handicrafts and folk art from around the country.

Most of the best shops are concentrated in the Zona Dorada, the city’s main hotel area. The bustling Mercado Central is located downtown, and while the market focuses mainly on produce and meat, there are a selection of vendors who offer T-shirts, casual resort wear, and other vacation staples.

The souvenir stalls that comprise the Mazatlán Arts and Crafts Center, located in the Zona Dorada, are a good place to shop for standard handicrafts, including leather goods, casual wear and onyx figurines.

For more sophisticated shopping, don’t miss La Querencia and Nidart, both located in the historic downtown area. The charming Nidart focuses on works by a group of highly talented artisans (mostly leather and clay works), while La Querencia offers a selection of colorful Latin American art, furniture, and clothing.

Puerto Vallarta

Vallarta’s shopping is dominated by small, eclectic stores and outdoor markets, and you can find folk art and home accessories at great prices.  If you are looking for original art, Vallarta is the place to do it. Known for being one of the stronger art communities in Latin America, this coastal town has a formidable number of galleries. Sergio Bustamante, the famous Mexican sculptor and jewelry designer whose work is dominated by his iconic suns, has had a gallery in Vallarta for many years.

Look for spectacular artwork made by the Huichol Indians, who are descendents of the Aztecs. Their art is sought-after by serious collectors, and you can purchase it either from street vendors or at many fine stores, including Huichol Collection on the malecón (seafront). Huichol art consists mainly of detail-rich yarn paintings (wood bases overlaid with colored yarn) and beaded pieces (pieces of wood in the shape of animals covered in beads). The friendly Huichol Indians also make colorful, intricately designed, beaded jewelry.

Puerto Vallarta is home to an open-air market located on a little island in the Rio Cuale. Don’t pay the first price that is offered, and you will get good deals on souvenirs, folk art, jewelry and clothing. The city’s municipal market is also located close by.

-- By Dagmar Jenner