Market, Mexico City, Mexico

Under this mosaic of canopies hides a lively and noisy market set up for the day in the streets of the capital. Thus protected from the sun, stands selling fruits and vegetables, medicinal plants and spices, sit next to those of fabric and craft vendors. Genuine Mexican institutions, markets sprout up every day throughout the country. Like arts and crafts, traditional ways of dressing, and the facades of homes, these markets express Mexicans’ fondness for bright, cheery colors. On the international scene, Mexico was a champion of commercial growth from 1980 to 1999. While the GDP per inhabitant doubled during this period, household consumption is only beginning to rise today. This trend benefits certain well-to-do layers of urban society, but has not yet improved the lives of most Mexicans, half of whom live beneath the poverty threshold. The social unrest that has rocked the state of Chiapas since 1994 is partly related to this situation.