Mercado Merced Map

[ExtraMSG]

I finally finished going through my 1000+ photos from my trip to Oaxacan, Puebla, and DF in May. So I'm almost ready (5 months later) to start reporting on my trip. (Luckily I took good notes, except at Aguila y Sol where that puta madre wouldn't let me take notes or photos and never sent me a menu as they said they would.) First order of business is taking my handmade maps and putting them into Illustrator to save as PDFs. However, since it's been a while, I'd like to make sure they're okay. So have a look at this one and those in the know, tell me if it seems mostly right. It's obviously not to scale, but are the relative positions and roadways correct?

http://www.extramsg.com/uploaded_misc/mercedmap.pdf

[theabroma]

Nick, this is great! It would really help orient me if you could let us know what the boundary streets are.

I'll be back in about a month, and I'm taking this with me.

Regards,

Theabroma

[ExtraMSG]

Yeah, I thought I had those in my notes but later realized I didn't. Now I can't remember. I'll look at it against a couple maps, though, and try to figure it out. I have one for Abastos in Oaxaca I'm working on as well.

I'd love it if there's anyone down there right now to print it out and just walk through and see if it helps. I tried to get a compass while I was in DF and couldn't find one anywhere. I wanted to get a sense of directionality. Easy to get lost and confused.

[ExtraMSG]

Okay, updated it with street names. I hope they're correct. The one I'm least sure about is Rosario. Also changed a few other items. There's much, of course, it doesn't capture, but it can orientate somebody. Would love to have it verified.

[shelora]

Okay, updated it with street names.  I hope they're correct.  The one I'm least sure about is Rosario.  Also changed a few other items.  There's much, of course, it doesn't capture, but it can orientate somebody.  Would love to have it verified.

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Great job! I'm taking one with me. I'm flying right to Oaxaca on Nov. 10th, but on the way back I'll be in D.F. and go and explore the market.

In Oaxaca, I'll be in the Abastos twice a week, so when you've got your map, I could verify any info you needed.

Shelora

[nickarte]

I would say the map is basically correct and will be helpfull for someone who has never been there - the sections aren´t so defined, ie. are somewhat more mixed up than it looks on the map.Also, I beleive there is another metro entrance somewhere near the shoes, which may be helpfull to add, as it makes retracing one´s steps unnecesary. Perhaps someone will expand the map to include the streets around the Merced, an undertaking akin to drawing a correct map of the medina in Fez ...I´M not going to do it!!

I suggest to anyone who goes to the Merced that you do it early, ie around 10 as by noon it can get overwhealmingly packed, especially on weekends. Dia de los Muertos stuff is there now and I saw a lady selling turkey eggs the other day!

[ExtraMSG]

Thanks. Yeah, I didn't try too hard to make it accurate. I just wanted to give someone a good sense of where things are. I did the Abastos map first and started by actually pacing off the inlets along the side and going down each one trying to make a very accurage, to-scale map. After about 4 hours of that, I gave up. I bow before anyone willing to do such things, but unless I were living there and had an overhead picture or a really good GPS, it wouldn't be me.

btw, I put up my report on Mercado Merced:

http://www.extramsg.com/modules.php?name=N...article&sid=656

I'm a bit disappointed in it partially because I didn't take notes on the market like I did at restaurants and partially because I flat-out missed pictures of things I should have captured, like the fish and dairy and the puestos around the market and the roads on either end and the outside of the place, plus I never hit the Witchcraft market on this trip. And I've got the mad cow so the time elapsed has put holes in my recollections.

[LarsTheo]

Interesting report. I've never been to Mercado La Merced - my friend took me too Mercado San Juan instead, which is smaller, but certainly adequate. They had armadillo and rattlesnake meat, as well as all the fruit I was looking for. When I was there, mameys were not in season, but the chico zapotes were very good.

Here's my brother's report of our trip. It was his first time, although I've been to DF countless times, although not as frequently lately as I used to go.

[ExtraMSG]

When I was there, zapote negros were in season, though they were importing them from Oaxaca. I've got pictures from my trips to Abastos.

[esperanza]

In just a few hours I am once again off to the DF. MSG, I have printed your wonderful map and am planning to maraud through La Merced. Thanks so much for posting it.

I'll take notes.

[ExtraMSG]

Thanks. I'll look forward to seeing your notes so that I can improve it.