![FlowerStallJamaicaMarketDF](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/FlowerStallJamaicaMarketDF.JPG)
Mercado Jamaica is one of
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...
’s
traditional public markets where various vendors sell their wares in an established location. This market began in the 1950s as part of efforts to urbanize the markets in the area. The market is located on the corner of Congreso de la Union and Avenida Morelos, just southeast of the
Historic center of Mexico City
The historic center of Mexico City ( es, Centro Histórico de la Ciudad de México), also known as the Centro or Centro Histórico, is the central neighborhood in Mexico City, Mexico, focused on Zócalo or main plaza and extending in all directio ...
. Although it is one of the main markets for souvenirs, produce and meat, it is best known for its flowers and ornamental plants. There are 1,150 stands dedicated to the selling of cut flowers, flower arrangements, ornamental plants and accessories such as flowerpots. The market offers about 5,000 types of flowers and plants, mostly foreign, but there is a number of native Mexican species available, including some gathered directly from the wild.
In Spanish, ''jamaica'' means the
hibiscus
''Hibiscus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. The genus is quite large, comprising several hundred species that are native to warm temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world. Member species ...
flower (as well as the island nation of
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
).
Description
This market is housed in three large naves covering a city block on the corner of Congreso de la Unión and Avenida Morelos in the
Venustiano Carranza borough. The
Metro Jamaica station on
Line 9 is directly in front of the building.
The market is one of the principal ones for fruits, vegetables, flowers and ornamental plants in the city and is bustling to chaotic, especially on weekends.
![HalloweenpiñatasDF](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Halloweenpi%C3%B1atasDF.JPG)
The market is best known for the sale of flowers and ornamental plants. There are 1,150 stands dedicated to flowers, flower arrangements and ornamental plants and associated accessories. 25.5% sell cut flowers, 26% sell flower arrangements, 4.3% sell flower pots and other accessories, 40.9% of the stalls are reserved for the trucks of flower producers and sellers and 3.2% sell ornamental plants, including those from the wild. The market sells about 5,000 types flowers and ornamental plants from the states of
Puebla,
Veracruz
Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...
,
Chiapas,
Oaxaca
Oaxaca ( , also , , from nci, Huāxyacac ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of Mexico. It is ...
,
State of Mexico and
Michoacán.
The variety of flowers is wide from roses to those from the various tropics. There are both retail and wholesale sales, mostly to florists in Mexico City, but sales are also made to some of the surrounding states. There are even exports to the United States and
Haiti.
The market also sells a number of species of plants which are native to Mexico and not commonly appreciated as ornamental plants.
Between this market and the flower market in
Tenancingo,
State of Mexico, a 2007 study identified 131 species from 93 genera and 42 families, with
orchidaceae
Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant.
Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...
best represented. There are five main types:
Briopsida,
Pteridopsida
The Polypodiidae, commonly called leptosporangiate ferns, formerly Leptosporangiatae, are one of four subclasses of ferns, and the largest of these, being the largest group of living ferns, including some 11,000 species worldwide. The group has ...
,
Pinopsida
Conifers are a group of cone-bearing seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a single extant class, Pinopsida. All extan ...
,
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida is a valid botanical name for a class of flowering plants. By definition the class will include the family Magnoliaceae, but its circumscription can otherwise vary, being more inclusive or less inclusive depending upon the classif ...
and
Liliopsida
Liliopsida Batsch (synonym: Liliatae) is a botanical name for the class containing the family Liliaceae (or Lily Family). It is considered synonymous (or nearly synonymous) with the name monocotyledon. Publication of the name is credited to Scopol ...
, with the last two accounting for 93% of all species. However, these 131 species are only a fraction of the 434 native Mexican species which have been identified as having ornamental potential. 95% of the species sold are on no or little risk of extinction or need of any special protection. Exceptions to this are ''
Coryphantha elephantidens
''Coryphantha'' (from Greek, "flowering on the top"), or beehive cactus, is a genus of small to middle-sized, globose or columnar cacti. The genus is native to arid parts of Central America, Mexico, through Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas ...
'', ''
Nymphaea odorata
''Nymphaea odorata'', also known as the American white waterlily, fragrant water-lily, beaver root, fragrant white water lily, white water lily, sweet-scented white water lily, and sweet-scented water lily, is an aquatic plant belonging to the g ...
'',
Tillandsia imperialis
''Tillandsia imperialis'' is an epiphytic species of flowering plant in the genus ''Tillandsia''. This species is endemic to Mexico, specifically the states Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, and Veracruz, at elevations ranging from 800 to 2,6 ...
,
Campyloneurum phyllitidis
''Campyloneurum phyllitidis'', commonly known as the long strap fern, is a species of fern in the family Polypodiaceae.
Distribution
''Campyloneurum phyllitidis'' is found in North, Central, and South America: from Florida, the Caribbean, and so ...
,
Cupressus lusitanic
''Cupressus'' is one of several genera of evergreen conifers within the family Cupressaceae that have the common name cypress; for the others, see cypress. It is considered a polyphyletic group. Based on genetic and morphological analysis, the ge ...
and
Barkeria scandens
''Barkeria'', abbreviated Bark in horticultural trade, is a genus of orchids. It consists of about 17 currently recognized (May 2014) species native to Mexico and Central America. This genus was once considered part of ''Epidendrum''. Type specie ...
. Many of these species are taken directly from the wild with little or no monitoring. However, the vast majority of the flower and plant species sold at the market are not native to Mexico, a situation reflected in the rest of the country. One reason for this is that most of the plant sellers here do not know the taxonomy of the native plants.
The market sells a number of other products besides plants and flowers. There are 312 stands dedicated to other merchandise such as produce, meat, groceries and other items, as a major supplies of basic staples in the area.
Most of the meat sold is common, but unusual animals such as frogs and
chichicuilotes (a type of native bird) can be found as well.
The market is also one of the major sellers of Christmas trees in the city. Most of the species sold are not native to Mexico and many are imported as they are considered to have better foliage and are usually cheaper.
There is a section dedicated to
piñata
A piñata (, ) is a container, often made of papier-mâché, pottery, or cloth, that is decorated, filled with candy, and then broken as part of a celebration. Piñatas are commonly associated with Mexico. The idea of breaking a container fille ...
s, most made with cardboard and covered in crepe paper, although more traditional ones with a clay pot in the center can still be found. Designs range from traditional stars to those based on recent figures from popular movies and television shows. The busiest time of year for this section of the market is December, before Christmas, when a tradition called “
Las Posadas
''Las Posadas'' is a ''novenario'' (an extended devotional prayer). It is celebrated chiefly in Latin America, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and by Latin Americans in the United States. It is typically celebrated each year between December 16 and ...
” often involves the breaking of one or more piñatas. While traditional to that season, the breaking of piñatas is no longer confined to December and can be found at various types of celebrations year round, which helps to support this section’s permanent presence.
History
Today, the area is part of the highly urbanized center of
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...
, just south east of the
historic center. In the past, this area was on the eastern edge of the
Aztec
The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl ...
island city of
Tenochtitlan
, ; es, Tenochtitlan also known as Mexico-Tenochtitlan, ; es, México-Tenochtitlan was a large Mexican in what is now the historic center of Mexico City. The exact date of the founding of the city is unclear. The date 13 March 1325 was ...
, facing
Lake Xochimilco
Lake Xochimilco (; nah, Xōchimīlco, ) is an ancient endorheic lake, located in the present-day Borough of Xochimilco in southern Mexico City.
The lake is within the Valley of Mexico hydrological basin, in central Mexico.
History
Geolo ...
. The area was filled with artificial islands called “
chinampas” for farming and docks to service the thousands of canoes and barges that passed through here on their way to city markets, especially the main market at
Tlatelolco. Trade traffic diminished somewhat after the
Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire
The Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, also known as the Conquest of Mexico or the Spanish-Aztec War (1519–21), was one of the primary events in the Spanish colonization of the Americas. There are multiple 16th-century narratives of the eve ...
, but it still remained very important. However, during the colonial period, the lake and chinampa areas here slowly dried as the lakes were drained. By the 19th century, the area had only canals, with the main one, Canal de la Viga limited the water traffic through here. By the mid 20th century, these too would be dried and filled in. Traffic would shift to the various major roads constructed here.
Through the area’s history, there had been a number of markets and
tianguis
A is an open-air market or bazaar that is traditionally held on certain market days in a town or city neighborhood in Mexico and Central America. This bazaar tradition has its roots well into the pre-Hispanic period and continues in many cases ...
here.
The market was established along with a number of others such as
Mercado de Sonora, to modernize the markets of the east end of town in the 1950s.
Mercado Jamaica was inaugurated on September 23, 1957, and along with the Mercado de Sonora, was the first to offer parking for cars.
In 2007, the market celebrated its 50th anniversary along with the then head of the
borough of Venustiano Carranza, Julios César Moreno Rivera, which includes cultural activities and shows with popular music.
References
External links
Artificial FlowersWedding Flowers
{{Mercado públicos of Mexico City
Flower markets
Retail markets in Mexico City