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| El Tepetate Market |
Originally built in 1978, today's Tepetate Market is not big enough. Three times per week, many vendors take over the neighboring streets in order to sell their goods. This “tianguis” (market stalls) cause noise, disorder and sometimes theft among visitors and street vendors. The city has debated whether to remodel the old building in order to expand and to improve its energy consumption and urban condition.
Because of constant growth, the building has suffered improvised renovations. Its surface is approximately 4,700m2 and sits on 14,400m2 block that includes parking, offices and storage.
Since the Market has taken on the adjacent streets, there are no public spaces nearby. The main plaza is used at times, as a gathering area or for football purposes. During the tianguis, street vendors cover the area and provide provisional shade for their goods.
The street vendors and the market merchants do not get along and belong to different Unions. The people who sell goods on the street typically have to pay a fee to the Union leaders who provide security and a spot on the street. Even though the tianguis may seem as a chaotic event, there are many rules that they need to follow. However, some of the obvious problems are that street vendors do not pay taxes, do not have restrooms, running water or garbage disposals causing health hazards in the community.
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