El Mercado

This is a large building filled with small– to medium-​sized shops selling Mexican manufactures. It is on the Produce Row pedestrian mall, directly across from the La Margarita restaurant (see our review).
The contents of many of the shops is repetitive and much of it is junk, but a couple of shops caught our eye. One was selling a pottery with a greenish glaze decorated with hand-​painted fruits that looked more Tuscan than Mexican. Thank goodness the shop was closed because Lana was intensely interested in some very large lidded pots and I had no idea where we would find room for them in our home. The other shop had a large selection of Alebrijes — Oaxacan wood carvings — and these were finer than the best I had seen in Tijuana. Besides, as I was in San Antonio, I didn’t have to worry about getting caught up in some gangland crossfire when I emerged from the store. But I still couldn’t afford them.