What are the best things to buy in Mexico as opposed to other places?

Whenever I go back to Holland, I always bring back lots of handicrafts from Oaxaca. Oaxaca is well known of its art and handicrafts. In the valley, outside the city, are various villages where the people dedicate themselves to farming and making different handicrafts that are worthwhile bringing. Alebrijes, black, red, and green pottery and woven rugs are examples of handicrafts. Alebrijes is an art from Oaxaca. It’s very popular and...

Whenever I go back to Holland, I always bring back lots of handicrafts from Oaxaca. Oaxaca is well known of its art and handicrafts. In the valley, outside the city, are various villages where the people dedicate themselves to farming and making different handicrafts that are worthwhile bringing. Alebrijes, black, red, and green pottery and woven rugs are examples of handicrafts. Alebrijes is an art from Oaxaca. It’s very popular and even get exported to the United States. Maybe you’ve already seen it in some markets? It’s a beautiful animal figure made from wood and they’re very colorful painted. They come in small and big sizes and can be all kind of figures; colibri´s, horses with two heads, dragons, monkeys, cats, macaws.  

 
 I make my family and friends always very happy when I bring these back to them to Holland.  You can buy here many things to decorate your house, so it is always very easy to find nice presents for home! 

Another thing I like to buy in Mexico is food. For me, food is the best thing in Mexico, especially Oaxaca. Whenever I go to the market, I have to be careful with my wallet because I can spend just too much! You can´t bring fresh food to another country, but they also sell food in sealed storage cans. Examples are the famous black mole and the different salsa´s.   

 

(Carved vases in market,  Oaxaca, Mexico, pictured.)

The best thing to buy here in San Miguel is art such as handicrafts. You can buy Talavera pottery here and the best things to buy are the glassware and dishes. They have their unique way of painting dishes that they have been doing since the Spaniards came to Mexico. There are Talavera tiles, Talavera dishes, etc. Talavera is one of the main attractions here in Dolores Hidalgo (the next closest, relatively small town to San Miguel de Allende) and San Miguel. If you go along the...

The best thing to buy here in San Miguel is art such as handicrafts. You can buy Talavera pottery here and the best things to buy are the glassware and dishes. They have their unique way of painting dishes that they have been doing since the Spaniards came to Mexico. There are Talavera tiles, Talavera dishes, etc. Talavera is one of the main attractions here in Dolores Hidalgo (the next closest, relatively small town to San Miguel de Allende) and San Miguel. If you go along the highway, you will find lots of vendors selling Talavera.  

 

(Talavera  pottery made in Mexico, pictured.)

The best things to buy in Mexico are fruits, vegetables, and clothes, which are relatively cheaper. Electricity, water, and a house are cheaper in Mexico than in Canada. You can buy a little colonial house the center of Merida in the state of Yucatan for $40,000, fix it up and make it whatever you want. These little houses in the village cost around US $20,000. Everything is cheaper and better in Mexico. As far as the fruits and vegetables, the quality is better because they’re...

The best things to buy in Mexico are fruits, vegetables, and clothes, which are relatively cheaper. Electricity, water, and a house are cheaper in Mexico than in Canada. You can buy a little colonial house the center of Merida in the state of Yucatan for $40,000, fix it up and make it whatever you want. These little houses in the village cost around US $20,000. Everything is cheaper and better in Mexico. As far as the fruits and vegetables, the quality is better because they’re grown year-round, and don’t have to be imported.  

 

(Egg, fruit and pastries served for breakfast on the terrace at Hacienda San Pedro Nohpat, outside Merida, Mexico, pictured.)

One of the best things to buy in Mexico as opposed to other places is tequila. The variety of tequila is just overwhelming. I'm like a kid in a candy store when I go into the local tequila shop because there's always a bunch of new brands, looking at the bottles, checking out the prices, and trying to figure out what's a good value for the price.

 

This is different than in Canada, although the liquor boards have opened up a little bit. In Canada, the...

One of the best things to buy in Mexico as opposed to other places is tequila. The variety of tequila is just overwhelming. I'm like a kid in a candy store when I go into the local tequila shop because there's always a bunch of new brands, looking at the bottles, checking out the prices, and trying to figure out what's a good value for the price.

 

This is different than in Canada, although the liquor boards have opened up a little bit. In Canada, the liquor stores are typically provincially run by an agency of the provincial government so they're very highly regulated. In order to get approved to put your product in there, you've got to go through a big song-and-dance. It hasn't been very easy for the tequila producers to get in there. They've only had, traditionally, four different varieties as opposed to 60 different varieties that you would get in Mexico. There is a lot more tax on them in Canada so the price is a lot higher for the product.

 

 

Hats are a good deal in Mexico. If you need a poncho for something, you can usually find about 50 different varieties pretty quickly. Jewelry is a pretty good deal. A lot of expats have either brought their jewelry trade with them or have come down to Mexico to learn how to make jewelry. A lot of different kinds of art, from weaving to paintings to sculpture; a lot of very attractive art is available at a pretty good price. Those are the things that come to mind quickly.

 

(Mule- powered grinding stone for manufacture of tequila, Mexico, pictured.)