They were necessary steps but the majority of people working in the market, who were just eking out a living before, are barely surviving now.
Stories by Joseph Sorrentino
Traditional art and its conservation are the focus of Mexico City market
Early on Saturday mornings Plaza Tenanitla, a tiny sliver of a park in the San Ángel neighborhood, is transformed into a bustling art market.
Pueblo’s indigenous roots are clearly evident in the nearby ruins
The structures and carvings found near San Gregorio Atlapulco contain elements of the Teotihuacán, Xochimilca and Mexica civilizations.
They trusted in God, a local chile and tequila to protect them from the virus
In March they said ‘No pasa nada.’ Today the Mexico City pueblo of San Gregorio Atlapulco has the highest number of cases in the capital.
Pulque is a pre-Hispanic drink with nutritional qualities—and there’s no hangover
More Mexicans, especially younger ones, have recently discovered pulque, partly because of its strong connection to Aztec culture and its health benefits.
This pueblo is not a pretty one but the people make up for what it lacks in beauty
In San Gregorio Atlapulco, the important things in life are family, community and faith and every event is organized to strengthen them.
An hour south of Mexico City is Mexico’s cheese factory
San Cristóbal Poxtla is a small pueblo with a population under 1,000 but despite its size it is known as as one of the best producers of artisanal cheese.
Growing amaranth is an ancestral tradition that continues in Mexico City pueblo
Santiago Tulyehualco, one of 16 pueblos that make up the borough of Xochimilco, is known as a center for amaranth cultivation.
Removed from traffic and noise, Mexico City’s ‘floating gardens’ like another world
One minute you’re in the city and then you’re in the middle of farmland. Rows of lettuce, radishes, spinach, cilantro and other plants seem to go forever.
In Chipilo, descendants of Italian settlers have kept their traditions alive
Chipileños have maintained many of their Italian traditions and their language. And, of course, their cuisine. It can truly be called an Italian pueblo.
Making crosses for graves is now full-time job for Mexico City metalworker
He believes all the crosses are for victims of Covid-19 in San Gregorio Atlapulco, where he used to make one or two a month. Now it’s seven a week.
Chinamperos help Mexico City residents by supplying fresh produce
Every Monday, Coat Rufino and Minerva González cram their small car with the produce they’ve harvested just a day or two before to fill orders from clients.
In this pueblo that is part of Mexico City, few worry about an infectious virus
San Gregorio Atlapulco, a pueblo of about 30,000 residents that is part of Mexico City, is woefully unprepared for the coronavirus.
