Most towns in Mexico have a street market that sets up usually once a week, rain or shine. They are called tianguis (pronounced tee-ANN-geese). The origin of the word comes from the Nahuatl tianquiz(tli), meaning “market.” In pre-Hispanic Mexico, bartering was the common system between vendors to get products or services needed. Today bartering might happen between vendors, but they are there to sell their products. All vendors are for the most part local.
In Ajijic, the tianguis happens every Wednesday on Calle Revolución, the street next to Plaza Bugambilias, and it runs from the main highway, down to the end where the big old adobe house sits. The hours are generally from 9 to 2 pm, although it may vary depending on how busy it is. You can find just about everything, things like seasonal produce, fresh dairy products, a variety of clothing, fish, chicken, herbal medicine, all sorts of nuts, wrist watch batteries, and so on. If you get hungry while shopping, you can sit at one of the various stands that offer a variety of delicious locally prepared food such as tacos, pizzas, prepared fresh cut fruit, and refreshing drinks. Everything, if not most things found at the tianguis are at reasonable prices.
The Ajijic tianguis was previously set up on Zaragoza street, between Colón and Juárez, but then it was decided to move it to its current location in the late 80s where it has grown and it doesn’t block any of today’s busy streets.
Besides Ajijic, other neighboring towns along the lakeside have their own tianguis on different days. Chapala has theirs on Mondays, San Juan Cosalá on Tuesdays, and Jocotepec on Thursdays.
