Mercado de Artesanías La Ciudadela — Attraction in Mexico City

If you are not prepared for price bargin game, this is not the place for you. I bought some mini Mexican hats for wall decorations. The 1st vendors near the entrance list for 85 pesos. I said 70 owner said no. So we settled at 80. I bought 6 hats. After 50 meters further into the market. I saw another shop sells for 50. And near the exit of the market, a shop sells for 35. Same thing happened to the souvenir tshirts and the shaking bell toy for kids I bought. More worse, I bought a pompom bag for 20 dollars. Later I returned to the vendor to see if she could give me a plastic bag to hold it. She said I have to pay an extra 5 dollars for the pompom bag. I refused it and returned the pompom bag. This place is definitely ripping tourists off. Some senior owners have a really bad attitude towards non-Spanish speakers. According to street vendors selling similar products near this market, reasonable price should be 60% of whatever Mercado de Artesan's sellers are asking for. The shops are well organized but these sellers are charging you...

My wife bought a dress there, at the time the service seemed good, the girl at the stall was kind and it wasn't too expensive.

The second we got back to our hotel and my wife tried the dress on, we noticed that it had a hole on the side, so she couldn't wear it.

We went back to the market a few days later and tried to explain the situation, only for the ladies at the stall to tell us to come later, that they aren't sure if we bought it there, etc.

This completely soured our experience. It's such a waste to have such bad customer service when they sell such beautiful items. I speak Spanish and even I couldn't get the dress exchanged (I didn't even want my money back), I think foreigners would be straight up told off.

Sellers at La Ciudadela, please do better. You may be the first and only place where many foreigners get to buy traditional items in Mexico City, stop wasting that potential with bad quality and even worse...

The market is a fantastic destination for authentic Mexican craftsmanship. This vibrant market, located in the historic center, is a treasure trove of handmade goods, including colorful textiles, ceramics, intricately crafted jewelry, and leather items. Established just before the 1968 Summer Olympics, La Ciudadela was created to showcase Mexico’s rich cultural heritage and is home to over 350 vendors, each offering unique and high quality products.

The market is well organized and easy to navigate, with friendly artisans eager to share the stories behind their creations, which enriches the shopping experience.

The market itself is named after the historic Ciudadela building, originally constructed as a tobacco factory in the late 18th century. It later served as a citadel during the Mexican War of Independence and became a national monument in 1931. Today, this historic backdrop adds a unique charm to the vibrant...