Tianguis Cultural del Chopo

Lonely Planet review

One of the weirder street markets in town, the Tianguis Cultural del Chopo is a gathering place for the city's various youth subcultures. Punks, goths, metalheads and all the other urban tribes gravitate here each Saturday to buy and trade CDs, hear live bands, find out about upcoming events and exchange ideas. It is the city's counter-cultural heart.

Established in 1980 at the Museo Universitario del Chopo, it moved eight years later to its current location near the now-defunct Buenavista railroad station, and has been thriving ever since. Of the hundreds of vendor stalls that extend along two aisles for several blocks, most are devoted to music CDs, with many specializing in subgenres like progressive rock, hardcore and ska. One vendor, Ramón García Bolaños, on the west side near the entrance to the market, has more than 3000 discs of rock mexicano on offer. There's an art gallery, a book club with poetry readings, and a stall for NGOs dealing with the environment and animal rights. At the far end is a concert stage for young-and-hungry bands, plus a trading post where people bring crates of CDs to swap.