Central de Abasto, Mexico City
Encyclopedia
The Central de Abasto is Mexico City
’s main wholesale market for produce and other foodstuffs run similarly to traditional public markets
. It was constructed to be the meeting point for producers, wholesalers, retailers and consumers for the entire country. Located in the eastern borough of Iztapalapa, it is the most important commercial establishment in Mexico
and the largest of its kind in the world. The market handles over 30,000 tons of merchandise daily, representing 80% of the consumption of the Mexico City metropolitan area
. The market was established on former farmland to ease congestion in the historic center of Mexico City
, but since then, the city has grown around it, bringing problems with traffic and crime, with robbery and kidnappings being the most serious.
, which specializes in fish and seafood. The facility is located on a property that extends 328 hectares (810.5 acre), with more than 2,000 business that sell principally fruit, vegetables, meat and some processed foods in a main building that covers 85 hectares (210 acre). The project was designed by architect Abraham Zabludovsky
. He designed a slightly deformed hexagon shaped building which measures 2,250 meters across. The entrances and exits are located on opposite ends of the building. In addition, there are more than sixty other installations on the property with services such as refrigeration, shipping and more. The center commercializes more than 30,000 tons of food products daily, representing 80% of the consumption of the 20 million people in the Mexico City metropolitan area
. This and the Nueva Viga market are the two largest employers in Iztapalapa The market generates 70,000 jobs directly and attends to more than 300,000 people per day. Its distribution network connects with more than 1,500 points of sale, including mercados públicos, tianguis
, 380 establishments associated with fifteen chain stores as well as other kinds of commercial centers. The Central de Abasto is the most important food warehouse and distribution center in Mexico and the largest institution of its kind in the world, Although most of the business conducted at the site is between wholesalers and retailers, retail sales still play a significant role.
As an officially sanctioned wholesale market, the main purpose is to be a central meeting point between large scale buyers and sellers. It is designed to be the axis of food distribution not only in Mexico City but for the entire country as well. Its volume means that the business done here is important to the setting of prices for goods and distribution patterns. It also helps with the regulation of the country’s food supply to ensure adequacy and safety as it centrality eases the inspection process. This is especially true for food items such as produce, milk and meat.
The market was established and is run by the Fideicomiso Central de Abasto de la Ciudad de México, which is a trust set up in 1981 for a duration of 99 years under the Ley General de Títulos y Operaciones de Crédito. Members of the trust include the Government of Mexico City and the Secretary of Economic Development. The trust is headed by a Administrador General designated by a committee and approved by the head of the government of Mexico City. In 2002, daily operations of the market were turned over to the private sector, but with oversight by the trust. In addition to running the market, another function of the trust is to provide financing to suppliers, especially agricultural producers with little technology or credit with financing to allow them access to the principal markets of Mexico, as well as international markets.
” handled most of the foodstuffs sold in Mexico City. From these developed a number of larger fixed markets called mercados públicos
. One of the earliest mercados públicos to be established in the city was the El Volador, located where the Supreme Court
is now. The purpose of large, fixed markets then as now was to ease regulation. La Merced
was another early market, established on what was the lakeshore near docks were farmers brought in their produce to sell in the city in boats. La Merced reached its height at the beginning of the 20th century, eventually becoming known as the “stomach of the city,” taking over most wholesale sales. However, neither La Merced nor the various others famous in the city such as Mercado de Sonora
and La Lagunilla
, never displaced local markets or tianguis.
Because of the growth and congestion of what is now the historic center of Mexico City
, La Merced’s capacity was exceeded and the area around it no longer permitted the free flow of traffic in the city center. This situation existed for many years, but came to a crisis in the 1970s, forcing authorities to seek an alternative. At that time, much of the borough of Iztapalapa was undeveloped and contained farmlands, although it had been growing. City and federal officials decided to move wholesale food sales to a new facility to be built on “chinampa
” farmland, with the goal of providing better entrance and egress, more space for vendors and be better for the environment. La Merced was not shut down, but rather became focused on retail sales, still mostly in food products, but not exclusively.
The relatively open land in Izatapalapa meant not only a larger facility but the construction of wider and better roads for shipping. However, the land that was appropriated for the project in the 1970s, was the last of the pre Hispanic chinampa
s in Iztapalapa, artificial islands originally near lake shore created for agriculture. The establishment of the Cental de Abastos would effectively eliminate this tradition in this part of the city.
Construction of the new facility was begun in 1981, designed by Abraham Zabludovsky
. The project allowed for large scale excavations to be held in the area, important as it was part of the Culhuacan
dominion and important up until Aztec times as the site of the Cerro de la Estrella and the New Fire ceremony
. There was not time to excavate everything before construction, so archeologist covered unexcavated structures with protective material called “geotextile
” to preserve them for future excavations. Construction was finished in 1982 and the facility was inaugurated in November of the same year, by President José López Portillo
. It was considered to be the most important infrastructure project of the decade.
Since that time, the market has remained very important, but its establishment has created a number of problems. Since the 1970s, the borough of Iztapalapa has grown tremendously around the market, and now it is over 90% urbanized. This has returned the traffic related problems that plagued the La Merced market. This is particularly true on the north side which opens onto Eje 3 Oriente, which is the main access to the facility. Another problem is the amount of refuse that the facility generates. Neighbors next to the federally owned property have complained of large mounds of trash accumulating on the periphery. In some areas, such as on the Eje 6 roadway, the garbage spills over into the public venue, along with rocks and chemicals.
However, the most serious problem to have plagued the market and the area around it is crime. The borough of Iztapalpa has become one of the most crime ridden in Mexico City, but the market is a particular attraction for certain types of crime. Because of the large number of truckers and others that regularly enter and leave the area, the facility has become a magnet for prostitution. This includes the prostitution of minors. There are also significant problems with underage workers, and small scale drug trafficking.
However, the most serious threat is robbery and kidnapping. Robbery of merchandise, shipments and money, including violent episodes, is a constant concern, and many merchants have private security. NGO’s
related to the kidnapping problem in Mexico such as Consejo para la Ley y los Derechos Humanos state that merchants from the facility are targeted by gangs associated with this crime. The targets include the merchants themselves, but more often it is family members. One recent case was the kidnapping and murder of Antonio Equihua Peralta, the minor son of one of a Abasto merchant. In the last ten years, there have been 286 proven cases of people associated with the market who have been held against their will. Police have conducted raids and other operations to improve security over the years. Market official and police have claimed that crime statistics as of 2007 have signicantly improved, up to 90% from highs over the tenure of current administrator Raymundo Collins Flores. However, market merchants have demanded more security including the installation of 4,000 surveillance cameras and the establishment of 4,000 member police squad specifically to the market.
Over twenty five years after the federal government expropriated fifty chinampa
properties to build the facility, former owners are still demanding return for the loss of their cropland. At the time, the farmers received forty pesos per square meter. However, many claim that since much of the land was never built on, it should be sold back to the original owners for the equivalent price. Most of the claimants are over fifty who lost their only means of subsistence with the loss of their lands.
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
’s main wholesale market for produce and other foodstuffs run similarly to traditional public markets
Traditional fixed markets in Mexico
Traditional fixed markets in Mexico go by a variety of names such as "mercados públicos" , "mercados municipales" or even more often simply "mercados"...
. It was constructed to be the meeting point for producers, wholesalers, retailers and consumers for the entire country. Located in the eastern borough of Iztapalapa, it is the most important commercial establishment in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and the largest of its kind in the world. The market handles over 30,000 tons of merchandise daily, representing 80% of the consumption of the Mexico City metropolitan area
Greater Mexico City
Greater Mexico City refers to the conurbation around Mexico City, officially called Mexico City Metropolitan Area , constituted by the Federal District—itself composed of 16 boroughs—and 41 adjacent municipalities of the states of Mexico and Hidalgo...
. The market was established on former farmland to ease congestion in the historic center of Mexico City
Historic center of Mexico City
The historic center of Mexico City is also known as the "Centro" or "Centro Histórico." This neighborhood is focused on the Zócalo or main plaza in Mexico City and extends in all directions for a number of blocks with its farthest extent being west to the Alameda Central The Zocalo is the largest...
, but since then, the city has grown around it, bringing problems with traffic and crime, with robbery and kidnappings being the most serious.
Description and function
The Central de Abasto is one of the two large wholesale markets in Mexico City, along with the Nueva Viga marketLa Nueva Viga Market
La Nueva Viga Market is the largest seafood market in Mexico and the second largest after the Tsukiji fish market in Japan. It is located in Mexico City far inland from the coast, because of historical patterns of commerce in the country. The market handles 1,500 tons of seafood daily, representing...
, which specializes in fish and seafood. The facility is located on a property that extends 328 hectares (810.5 acre), with more than 2,000 business that sell principally fruit, vegetables, meat and some processed foods in a main building that covers 85 hectares (210 acre). The project was designed by architect Abraham Zabludovsky
Abraham Zabludovsky (architect)
Abraham Zabludovsky was a Mexican architect. He was the brother of the well-known journalist Jacobo Zabludovsky....
. He designed a slightly deformed hexagon shaped building which measures 2,250 meters across. The entrances and exits are located on opposite ends of the building. In addition, there are more than sixty other installations on the property with services such as refrigeration, shipping and more. The center commercializes more than 30,000 tons of food products daily, representing 80% of the consumption of the 20 million people in the Mexico City metropolitan area
Greater Mexico City
Greater Mexico City refers to the conurbation around Mexico City, officially called Mexico City Metropolitan Area , constituted by the Federal District—itself composed of 16 boroughs—and 41 adjacent municipalities of the states of Mexico and Hidalgo...
. This and the Nueva Viga market are the two largest employers in Iztapalapa The market generates 70,000 jobs directly and attends to more than 300,000 people per day. Its distribution network connects with more than 1,500 points of sale, including mercados públicos, tianguis
Tianguis
A tianguis is an open air market or bazaar that is traditionally held on certain market days in a town or city neighborhood in Mexico and Central America. This bazaar tradition has its roots well into the pre-Hispanic period and continues in many cases essentially unchanged into the present day....
, 380 establishments associated with fifteen chain stores as well as other kinds of commercial centers. The Central de Abasto is the most important food warehouse and distribution center in Mexico and the largest institution of its kind in the world, Although most of the business conducted at the site is between wholesalers and retailers, retail sales still play a significant role.
As an officially sanctioned wholesale market, the main purpose is to be a central meeting point between large scale buyers and sellers. It is designed to be the axis of food distribution not only in Mexico City but for the entire country as well. Its volume means that the business done here is important to the setting of prices for goods and distribution patterns. It also helps with the regulation of the country’s food supply to ensure adequacy and safety as it centrality eases the inspection process. This is especially true for food items such as produce, milk and meat.
The market was established and is run by the Fideicomiso Central de Abasto de la Ciudad de México, which is a trust set up in 1981 for a duration of 99 years under the Ley General de Títulos y Operaciones de Crédito. Members of the trust include the Government of Mexico City and the Secretary of Economic Development. The trust is headed by a Administrador General designated by a committee and approved by the head of the government of Mexico City. In 2002, daily operations of the market were turned over to the private sector, but with oversight by the trust. In addition to running the market, another function of the trust is to provide financing to suppliers, especially agricultural producers with little technology or credit with financing to allow them access to the principal markets of Mexico, as well as international markets.
History
From the pre Hispanic period, there have been various open air markets called “tianguisTianguis
A tianguis is an open air market or bazaar that is traditionally held on certain market days in a town or city neighborhood in Mexico and Central America. This bazaar tradition has its roots well into the pre-Hispanic period and continues in many cases essentially unchanged into the present day....
” handled most of the foodstuffs sold in Mexico City. From these developed a number of larger fixed markets called mercados públicos
Traditional fixed markets in Mexico
Traditional fixed markets in Mexico go by a variety of names such as "mercados públicos" , "mercados municipales" or even more often simply "mercados"...
. One of the earliest mercados públicos to be established in the city was the El Volador, located where the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation
The Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation is the highest federal court in the United Mexican States. It consists of a President of the Supreme Court and ten Ministers who are confirmed by the Senate from a list proposed by the President of the Republic.Justices of the SCJN serve for fifteen...
is now. The purpose of large, fixed markets then as now was to ease regulation. La Merced
La Merced Market, Mexico City
The La Merced Market is a traditional public market located in the eastern edge of the historic center of Mexico City and is the largest retail traditional food market in the entire city. The area, also called La Merced, has been synonymous with commercial activity since the early colonial period...
was another early market, established on what was the lakeshore near docks were farmers brought in their produce to sell in the city in boats. La Merced reached its height at the beginning of the 20th century, eventually becoming known as the “stomach of the city,” taking over most wholesale sales. However, neither La Merced nor the various others famous in the city such as Mercado de Sonora
Mercado de Sonora
Mercado de Sonora is a city-established traditional market, located just southeast of the historic center of Mexico City in the Colonia Merced Balbuena neighborhood. It was established in the 1950s with a number of other similar institutions in order to help regulate retail commerce in the city...
and La Lagunilla
La Lagunilla Market, Mexico City
La Lagunilla Market is a traditional public market in Mexico City, located about ten blocks north of the city’s main plaza, in a neighborhood called La Lagunilla. The market is one of the largest in the city and consists of three sections: one for clothing, one for furniture and one for foodstuffs,...
, never displaced local markets or tianguis.
Because of the growth and congestion of what is now the historic center of Mexico City
Historic center of Mexico City
The historic center of Mexico City is also known as the "Centro" or "Centro Histórico." This neighborhood is focused on the Zócalo or main plaza in Mexico City and extends in all directions for a number of blocks with its farthest extent being west to the Alameda Central The Zocalo is the largest...
, La Merced’s capacity was exceeded and the area around it no longer permitted the free flow of traffic in the city center. This situation existed for many years, but came to a crisis in the 1970s, forcing authorities to seek an alternative. At that time, much of the borough of Iztapalapa was undeveloped and contained farmlands, although it had been growing. City and federal officials decided to move wholesale food sales to a new facility to be built on “chinampa
Chinampa
Chinampa is a method of ancient Mesoamerican agriculture which used small, rectangle-shaped areas of fertile arable land to grow crops on the shallow lake beds in the Valley of Mexico.-Description:...
” farmland, with the goal of providing better entrance and egress, more space for vendors and be better for the environment. La Merced was not shut down, but rather became focused on retail sales, still mostly in food products, but not exclusively.
The relatively open land in Izatapalapa meant not only a larger facility but the construction of wider and better roads for shipping. However, the land that was appropriated for the project in the 1970s, was the last of the pre Hispanic chinampa
Chinampa
Chinampa is a method of ancient Mesoamerican agriculture which used small, rectangle-shaped areas of fertile arable land to grow crops on the shallow lake beds in the Valley of Mexico.-Description:...
s in Iztapalapa, artificial islands originally near lake shore created for agriculture. The establishment of the Cental de Abastos would effectively eliminate this tradition in this part of the city.
Construction of the new facility was begun in 1981, designed by Abraham Zabludovsky
Abraham Zabludovsky (architect)
Abraham Zabludovsky was a Mexican architect. He was the brother of the well-known journalist Jacobo Zabludovsky....
. The project allowed for large scale excavations to be held in the area, important as it was part of the Culhuacan
Culhuacan
Culhuacan or Colhuacan was one of the Nahuatl-speaking pre-Columbian city-states of the Valley of Mexico. According to tradition, Culhuacan was founded by the Toltecs under Mixcoatl and was the first Toltec city...
dominion and important up until Aztec times as the site of the Cerro de la Estrella and the New Fire ceremony
New Fire ceremony
The New Fire ceremony was an Aztec ceremony performed once every 52 years — a full cycle of the Aztec calendar— in order to stave off the end of the world....
. There was not time to excavate everything before construction, so archeologist covered unexcavated structures with protective material called “geotextile
Geotextile
Geotextiles are permeable fabrics which, when used in association with soil, have the ability to separate, filter, reinforce, protect, or drain...
” to preserve them for future excavations. Construction was finished in 1982 and the facility was inaugurated in November of the same year, by President José López Portillo
José López Portillo
José López Portillo y Pacheco was the President of Mexico from 1976 to 1982.Born in Mexico City, López Portillo studied Law at the National Autonomous University of Mexico before beginning his political career with the Institutional Revolutionary Party in 1959.He held several positions in the...
. It was considered to be the most important infrastructure project of the decade.
Since that time, the market has remained very important, but its establishment has created a number of problems. Since the 1970s, the borough of Iztapalapa has grown tremendously around the market, and now it is over 90% urbanized. This has returned the traffic related problems that plagued the La Merced market. This is particularly true on the north side which opens onto Eje 3 Oriente, which is the main access to the facility. Another problem is the amount of refuse that the facility generates. Neighbors next to the federally owned property have complained of large mounds of trash accumulating on the periphery. In some areas, such as on the Eje 6 roadway, the garbage spills over into the public venue, along with rocks and chemicals.
However, the most serious problem to have plagued the market and the area around it is crime. The borough of Iztapalpa has become one of the most crime ridden in Mexico City, but the market is a particular attraction for certain types of crime. Because of the large number of truckers and others that regularly enter and leave the area, the facility has become a magnet for prostitution. This includes the prostitution of minors. There are also significant problems with underage workers, and small scale drug trafficking.
However, the most serious threat is robbery and kidnapping. Robbery of merchandise, shipments and money, including violent episodes, is a constant concern, and many merchants have private security. NGO’s
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
related to the kidnapping problem in Mexico such as Consejo para la Ley y los Derechos Humanos state that merchants from the facility are targeted by gangs associated with this crime. The targets include the merchants themselves, but more often it is family members. One recent case was the kidnapping and murder of Antonio Equihua Peralta, the minor son of one of a Abasto merchant. In the last ten years, there have been 286 proven cases of people associated with the market who have been held against their will. Police have conducted raids and other operations to improve security over the years. Market official and police have claimed that crime statistics as of 2007 have signicantly improved, up to 90% from highs over the tenure of current administrator Raymundo Collins Flores. However, market merchants have demanded more security including the installation of 4,000 surveillance cameras and the establishment of 4,000 member police squad specifically to the market.
Over twenty five years after the federal government expropriated fifty chinampa
Chinampa
Chinampa is a method of ancient Mesoamerican agriculture which used small, rectangle-shaped areas of fertile arable land to grow crops on the shallow lake beds in the Valley of Mexico.-Description:...
properties to build the facility, former owners are still demanding return for the loss of their cropland. At the time, the farmers received forty pesos per square meter. However, many claim that since much of the land was never built on, it should be sold back to the original owners for the equivalent price. Most of the claimants are over fifty who lost their only means of subsistence with the loss of their lands.