Mercado Bramaderos

The Mercado Bramaderos is often misspelled in the singular. Locals will insist that the name should be plural. The word “bramaderos” likely refers to the area’s history as a stockyard where animals were tethered or corralled.

• The other neighborhood name refers to Gabriel Ramos Millán (1903-1949). He was a Senator slated to run for president. When he was killed in a high-profile plane crash the then emerging neighborhood here honored him by appending the colonia name.

The colonia Ramos Millán Bramadero and the surrounding areas of Iztacalco all came about as urban residential areas in the mid-20th century. These grew up on the former farm fields of the old Granjas Mexico to the north. Along the rich canal banks, the former lake bottom proved a fertile ground for planting.

Today the Mercado Bramaderos hosts some 278 vendors (according to a 2017 UAM study). Among all of them are some very good cooks, too. They rely on the historical market to supply produce that’s undoubtedly fresher than at any restaurant or street stand. And many are preparing fresh sit-down lunches every day.

Sharing the block with the Guadalupe Church next door, the market constitutes something of a neighborhood center, too. It’s a stone’s throw away from the newer Mercado Río Frío. At this writing, both markets are still working out which will specialize in what.

Hours: Daily 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.