Day Trips

Photo by Gerald E. McLeod

Market Square in San Antonio brings a little bit of the Mexican border culture to Central Texas. The shopping is fun, the food is definitely Tex-Mex, and there is a Smithsonian-affiliated museum on the plaza. You don't need a passport or a Spanish phrase book to walk through this colorful piece of history.

The plaza of Market Square is surrounded by the vestiges of a mercantile history that reaches back to traveling salesmen and the original chili queens. Most of the traditional border curios and souvenirs – from polished onyx chessboards to fancy Mexican dresses – can be found in the 100-plus shops that fill the two market buildings and sidewalk stalls in a three-square-block area.

Each vendor crams as much merchandise as possible into his allotted area. The result is an explosion of colors that is exciting and almost overwhelming. About the only thing different from the markets in Nueva Laredo or Matamoras is the haggling for a lower price. The merchants in San Antonio don't seem very interested in making a deal.

There are still plenty of bargains to be found. Cowboy boots with ornate trim sell for less than $100, cowboy hats for less than $20, and heavy cotton ponchos for $11. In the 1960s my sister brought a puppet for me back from a border shopping excursion. They're still selling that same puppet nearly 50 years later. I was disappointed to not find any black velvet paintings during my browsing.

The two market buildings bordering the plaza are basically the same but with a little different ambience. The Farmers' Market Plaza on the western edge of Market Square is a little more high-end and less crowded. Market Square began as a commercial district in 1894, and the market building has roots that go back to 1899, when the first covered area for farmers was built. By 1976, when the building was entirely enclosed and air-conditioned, most of the produce vendors had been replaced by souvenir vendors and a snack bar.

El Mercado, the building of shops on the north side of the square, had a similar history. When a new wholesale vegetable terminal was built across town, the curio vendors replaced the produce vendors.

Many of the visitors to Market Square come for the Mexican food at Mi Tierra Cafe and Bakery on the south side of the plaza, and everyone comes away with an opinion about the venerable San Antonio institution. On a weekday afternoon, my plate of mole enchiladas was excellent, and I'll leave it at that.

Market Square is on the western edge of downtown San Antonio bound by Dolorosa, Santa Rosa, West Commerce, and I-35. In 2007, Museo Alameda opened at Market Square as the nation's largest museum celebrating the Latino experience with traveling exhibits culled from the Smithsonian Institute's vast collection.

1,018th in a series. Collect them all. Day Trips, Vol. 2, a book of Day Trips 101-200, is available for $8.95, plus $3.05 for shipping, handling, and tax. Mail to: Day Trips, PO Box 33284, South Austin, TX 78704.