Sweets and crafts market

🍭 Sugar Paradise 🍬

If after so much history and architecture you feel your sugar dropping, don't worry! You're just steps away from the sweetest place in all of Michoacán.

Popularly known as the “Candy Market”, its official name is Valentín Gómez Farías Market. This is the place to buy your "itacate" (a packed lunch) before returning to Pátzcuaro or to get the perfect souvenir for the family.

🌱 From Jesuit Orchard to Popular Market What is today a labyrinth of 150 colorful shops was something very different centuries ago: the Jesuit gardenThe monks who lived in the Clavijero Palace (just behind) grew their vegetables here. However, history took an ironic turn: The market is named after Valentín Gómez Farías because he was the one who promoted the expropriation of Church property in the 19th century. In other words, the land was taken from the clergy for public use. It is said that at the time this caused such anger that the high-ranking church officials claimed that the epidemics of the era were divine punishment for having their lands taken away! ⚡

📅 How long has it existed? Although the land remained vacant for a long time (possibly as a vacant lot), the market as you see it was inaugurated on September 14, 1968. Their goal was to provide a decent home for the candy vendors who previously "took a chance" in the Portal Matamoros and the vicinity of the Cathedral.

🤤 What will you find? Entering here is a test of willpower. Among its corridors, remodeled in 2015, you'll find more than 300 varieties of sweets. Here's the list of must-sees:

• Ates of Morelia: Guava, quince or tejocote (with its little cheese, phew!).

• Morelianas: Those wafer tortillas with burnt cajeta that melt in your mouth.

• Eggnog: Flavors you never imagined (pistachio, walnut, coffee).

• Crystallized fruits: Figs, sweet potatoes and pumpkin.

• Crafts: Although sweets are king, there is also a lot of wood and copper crafts.

📍 Why visit it from Pátzcuaro? Because, although Pátzcuaro has delicious ice cream and chongos (a type of sweet bread), the concentrated variety of regional sweets in this market is unique. It's the perfect final stop on your trip to Morelia to fill your suitcase with Michoacán flavors.