Shopping in Mérida and the Yucatan
Mérida is known for hammocks, guayaberas (lightweight men's shirts worn untucked), and Panama hats. Baskets and pottery made in the Yucatán and crafts from all over Mexico are sold cheaply in the central market. Mérida is also the place to pick up prepared achiote, a pastelike mixture of ground achiote seeds (annatto), oregano, garlic, masa, and other spices used in Yucatecan cuisine. Mixed with sour orange to a soupy consistency, it makes a great marinade, especially for grilled meat and fish. It can be found bottled in this form. It's also the sauce for baked chicken and cochinita pibil (pork with achiote, sour orange, and spices).
Exploring the Market- Mérida's bustling market district is a few blocks southeast of the Plaza Mayor. The market and surrounding few blocks make up the commercial center of the city. Hordes of people come here to shop and work. It is by far the most crowded part of town, and the city government is refurbishing the whole area to relieve the traffic congestion, modernize the market building, and add green space. Behind the post office (at calles 65 and 56) is the oldest part of the market, the Portal de Granos (Grains Arcade), a row of maroon arches where the grain merchants used to sell their goods. Just east, between calles 56 and 54, is the market building, Mercado Lucas de Gálvez. Inside, chaos seems to reign, but after a short while a certain order emerges. Here you can find anything from fresh fish to flowers to leather goods. In the building directly south of the market, you can find more locally manufactured goods; on the second floor is the Bazaar de Artesanías (crafts market). Another crafts market, Bazaar García Rejón, lies a block west of the market on Calle 65 between calles 58 and 60.
Guayaberas- Business suits are hot and uncomfortable in Mérida's soaking humidity, so businessmen, politicians, bankers, and bus drivers alike wear the guayabera, a loose fitting shirt decorated with narrow tucks, pockets, and sometimes embroidery, worn over the pants rather than tucked in. Mérida is famous as the best place to buy guayaberas. Most are made of cotton, although other materials are available. The traditional color is white.
Most shops display ready to wear shirts in several price ranges. Guayabera makers pride themselves on being innovators. I have yet to enter a shirt-maker's shop in Mérida that did not present its own version of the guayabera. When looking at guayaberas, here are a few things to keep in mind: When Yucatecans say seda, they mean polyester; lino is linen or a linen/polyester combination. Take a close look at the stitching and such details as the way the tucks line up over the pockets; with guayaberas, the details are everything.
Hammocks- Natives across tropical America used hammocks long before the Europeans arrived in the New World. The word comes from the Spanish hamaca, which is a borrowing from Taino, a Caribbean Indian language. Hammocks are still in use throughout Latin America and come in a wide variety of forms, but none is so comfortable as the Yucatecan hammock, which is woven with cotton string in a fine mesh. For most of us, of course, the hammock is lawn furniture, something to relax in for an hour or so on a lazy afternoon. But for the vast majority of Yucatecans, hammocks are the equivalent of beds, and they greatly prefer hammocks to mattresses. I know a hotel owner who has 150 beds in his establishment but won't sleep on any of them. When he does, he complains of waking up unrested and sore. Many well to do Meridanos keep a bed just for show. In hotels that cater to Yucatecans, you will always find hammock hooks in the walls because many Yucatecans travel with their own hammock.
My advice to the hammock buyer: The woven part should be cotton, it should be made with fine string, and the strings should be so numerous that when you get in it and stretch out diagonally (the way you're supposed to sleep in these hammocks), the gaps between the strings remain small. Don't pay attention to the words used to describe the size of a hammock; they have become practically meaningless. Good hammocks don't cost a lot of money .If you want a superior hammock, ask for one made with fine crochet thread hilo de crochet (the word crochet is also sometimes bandied about, but you can readily see the difference)..
Nothing beats a tryout; the shops mentioned here will gladly hang a hammock for you to test drive. When it's up, look to see that there are no untied strings. You can also see what street vendors are offering, but you have to know what to look for, or they are likely to take advantage of you.
Panama Hats- Another useful and popular item is this soft, pliable hat made from the fibers of the jipijapa palm in several towns south of Mérida along Highway 180, especially Becal, in the neighboring state of Campeche. The hat makers in these towns work inside caves so that the moist air keeps the palm fibers pliant.
Jipi hats come in various grades determined by the quality (pliability, softness, and fineness) of the fibers and closeness of the weave. The difference in weave is easy to see, as a fine weave improves the shape of a hat. It has more body and regains its shape better. I like two places in particular for Panama hats; if you speak Spanish, you can hear two different takes on buying a hat. One store is El Becaleño, Calle 65 no. 483, across from the post office. The owner can show you differences in quality and has some very expensive hats. The other store is a short distance away in one of the market buildings: Walk south down Calle 56 past the post office; right before the street ends in the market place, turn left into a passage with hardware stores at the entrance. The fourth or fifth shop is the Casa de los Jipis. You can always ask people in the area to point it out to you.