For more than two decades, the historic center of San Cristóbal de las Casas has transformed into a night market each evening, becoming an integral part of the urban landscape and the local economy. From Monday to Friday, starting at 6:00 p.m., hundreds of street vendors begin setting up shop in the Alameda Central, also known as Cathedral Square or Plaza de la Resistencia, in the Chiapas Highlands region.
According to vendors, between 1,000 and 1,200 people, mostly Indigenous men and women from various municipalities in the Chiapas Highlands, occupy this public space until after midnight, offering a wide variety of regional crafts, as well as textiles and accessories brought from Guatemala.
Jackets, blankets, shirts, hats, caps, shawls, and garments of various colors and designs cover the central plaza each night, attracting both locals and national and international tourists, who wander through the makeshift aisles in search of handcrafted items.
However, the market’s operation is irregular, as the use of the plaza is considered illegal, a situation that has generated discontent among sectors of the population. For years, residents of San Cristóbal have requested that municipal and state authorities remove the street vendors, arguing that they negatively impact the city’s urban and tourist image, a city designated as a Pueblo Mágico (Magical Town).
In contrast, some leaders of the vendors argue that those who participate in the night market are people of limited means, for whom this activity represents their main source of income. They point out that they only occupy the plaza for five or six hours, without remaining during the day, and that their presence is not intended to cause conflict.
“We arrive in the afternoon and leave at midnight. We are not invading; we are simply working to support our families,” said one of the artisans interviewed, who added that the nighttime sales allow them to cover basic expenses such as food, education, and housing.
The vendors called on the federal and Chiapas state governments to build a formal, spacious market where they can sell their products in an orderly fashion without encroaching on the public spaces of the historic center.
Meanwhile, the night market continues to operate as an unofficial tradition that, driven by economic necessity and social controversy, continues to define the nights in the heart of San Cristóbal de las Casas.
Source: oem
