Market Square is a three-block outdoor plaza lined with shops, and restaurants in downtown

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

. Market Square is the largest Mexican market in the United States. The "El Mercado" section has 32 specialty shops and the "Farmer's Market Plaza" section has 80. "Mi Tierra Cafe Y Panaderia" and "La Margarita Mexican Restaurant & Oyster Bar" are the major eateries, but snack and specialty foods are available at other shops. Market Square is the site of

Cinco de Mayo Cinco de Mayo ( in Mexico, Spanish for "Fifth of May") is a yearly celebration held on May 5, which commemorates the anniversary of Mexico's victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, led by General Ignacio Zaragoz ...

in central San Antonio and many other fiestas throughout the year. The "El Mercado" building was built as a

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

project during 1938-1939 after the existing municipal market house (known as the Giles building) was torn down. The new building was originally named the "Municipal Truck Market", but locals commonly called it the "Farmer's Market", as farmers sold their produce straight from their trucks inside the open air building. In 1975, the last produce was sold there, and the market house underwent renovation to convert it into an enclosed air-conditioned mercado.

References

External links

www.marketsquaresa.com
{{Coord, 29.425, -98.499, display=title Hispanic and Latino American culture in San Antonio Mexican-American culture in San Antonio Transportation in Bexar County, Texas Squares in the United States