Explore fascinating Mercado de la Merced in Mexico City
La Merced: At Tacos McTeo, adding papas fritas -- French fries -- to their tacos is a specialty. The taqueria is one of many stalls inside Mexico City's Mercado de la Merced.
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Dazzling array of products: The market's colors -- like these Miguelito candy powders -- are striking.
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A don't-miss taqueria: Tripe and suadero tacos at Cinco Hermanos, another market eatery.
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Some of the city's best tacos: Cinco Hermanos is rightfully known as one of the best places to get tacos -- possibly in the entire city.
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Meat in many forms: Workers deconstruct huge cakes of chicharrón prensado -- pressed pork -- deconstructing them once again, for gorditas, tacos or to be added to salsas.
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Your choice of mole: An array of moles is available at Moles Dona Balbi.
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Prickly pear prep: A worker methodically -- and rapidly -- shaves the spines off nopales, the ubiquitous prickly pear cactus pads.
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An acquired taste: Tacos de cabeza -- beef head tacos -- can be found outside the Nave Mayor, in the road that runs between the market and the meat section.
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Electric green: Stacks of limes, avocados and the rest of Mexico's bountiful and varied vegetable crops bring vivid colors to the market.
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Peppers aplenty: A basketful of habaneros in the vegetable section of the market.
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Festive sweets: Small candy skulls made of amaranth -- an ancient grain which predates the Hispanic era -- lie stacked alongside other skeleton-themed snacks ahead of the Day of the Dead.
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Traditional snacks:Chapulines -- grasshoppers -- are a tasty snack that has survived since pre-Hispanic times. To the right are acociles, tiny shellfish.
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Señora Edith's: This tiny stall selling pre-Hispanic ingredients such as mosquito larvae, ants and stink bugs is unique in the market.
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A Mexican staple: Thousands of tortillas are pressed every day in small tortillerias. The staple is regulated by the government -- a kilo (2.2 lb) currently costs less than $1.