¡Felices fiestas!: 6 Incredible Spots to Buy Artisanal Mexican Christmas Gifts

Whether I spend the winter holiday season with family back in the States, or enjoy my navidad mexicana, this remains my favorite time of year. Christmas is a big deal in Mexico, a predominantly Catholic country. Regardless of whether you celebrate the holiday’s religious aspects, Mexican Christmas festivities can be infectiously fun and diverse.

Over the years, I’ve discovered many of the jewels of Mexican artisanry — although there’s always more to explore. I love sharing these stunning traditions with family and friends during the holidays by bringing back unique gifts. In years past, these have included textiles and Christmas ornaments, basketry and brilliantly glazed ceramics. I seek out many of these treasures right here in Mexico City and its neighboring villages. Here, I’m sharing my favorite spots to find the perfect gift your loved one will never forget. For more holiday experiences in the area, check out my guide to Christmas in Mexico City as well!

1) La Ciudadela and City Markets

This must-visit market in central Mexico City bursts with artisanry from all over the country. While La Ciudadela has its share of souvenir junk (think: wool ponchos emblazoned with U.S. football team logos), it’s full of real gems as well. This is the place to go for classics like patterned talavera ceramics and tiles, lovely table runners and cloths (keep an eye out for ones with poinsettia patterns), and even tonalá pottery from Jalisco state (in Aisle 4). Bring plenty of cash to avoid credit card fees.

For even more holiday cheer, you can’t miss the iconic Mercado Jamaica in the historic center. Usually the city’s wholesale flower market, the Jamaica transforms into a Mexican Christmas wonderland this time of year. Its focus on more on decorations than presents — come here for your nochebuenas (poinsettia flowers), garlands, and of course, seven-pointed Christmas piñatas. It’s just as fun, however, to drink in the colorful atmosphere. Wander with a warm ponche drink and a cup of flavorful esquites (roast corn), some of the best in the city!

The Mercado de Coyoacán also has a decent selection of gifts and artisanry, though it’s quite touristy.

2) Bazaars

In recent years, Mexico City has teemed with popular bazaars selling handmade items. These range from highly traditional to artsy to hipster-dominated. While not every bazaar is created equal, I have found several favorites. This year, in fact, I bought most of my Mexican Christmas gifts at them!

Bazar Zona Zero, in the upscale Roma neighborhood, bills itself as a center for design, fashion, and art. The market’s location just off of the beautiful Plaza Río de Janeiro makes it a great part of your weekend stroll. The bazaar has an interesting mix of stylish clothing, unique pottery, accessories, and vintage, some for fairly accessible prices. You can take a look here. They usually accept credits cards or bank transfers, as well as cash.

The classic among all Mexico City bazaars is, of course, the Bazar Sábado in San Ángel, centered around cobblestoned Plaza San Jacinto. As the name would suggest, this market takes place every Saturday. This is where well-heeled Chilangos and visitors alike come to drink in the area’s charm, grab brunch, and pick up high quality artisan goods. This is a pricier spot, but it has fantastic ambience and some decent deals. Bring cash and good walking shoes.

Finally, Libre Liebre is a fun, slightly quirkier bazaar that pops around to different locations. It’s an excellent spot for jewelry, candles, and other more off-the-beat gifts. Just check their Instagram to see the newest venue and dates.

3) Museum Gift Shops

While I’m often a little disappointed by Mexico City museum gift shops (Modern Art Museum, I’m looking at you, sigh), there are two jewels among the more “average” ones. My beloved Museo de Arte Popular (Folk/Popular Art Museum) is already one of the best places to visit in the city. But on top of its spectacular folk art exhibitions, the “MAP” boasts a top-notch store. It brings together excellent quality artisanry from all over Mexico — during the holidays, this includes many Christmas-y items. While the store is pricier than some, it directly benefits artisans and features unique pieces.

Perched at the edge of Chapultepec Forest, the famed Anthropology Museum also has a nice shop. This features a great variety of books on Mexican history and arts, along with some lovely artisanry, food items, clothing, and jewelry. The selection is a little more basic than the MAP, but makes for a strong starting point.

If you’re into art books and very contemporary gifts, the Tamayo Museum and Museo de El Chopo have interesting collections as well. The smaller store at the Museo Franz Mayer has some interesting stuff, including fun earrings, scarves, etc.

4) FONART Stores & Fairs

FONART serves as the Mexican government’s official fund to support artisans and their traditions. The organizations has played a big role in helping preserve artistic craft all over the country, and I really admire its work. An important aspect of FONART’s mission is connecting artisans directly with potential buyers. Here in Mexico City, they achieve this in two ways: through their permanent shops, as well as seasonal fairs.

There are three FONART stores in the city, which you can find here. They all have superb selections of artisanry, giving you the opportunity to put money in the pockets of talented creators, many of indigenous heritage. Recently, FONART has also opened a small, but very cool shop in the lobby of the Secretaría de Economía building. I certainly recommend checking it out — right now, it’s Mexican Christmas galore! Find it at Pachuca 189 in the Condesa neighborhood.

Then, there are the fabulous artisan fairs they’ve been organizing ever more frequently. I’ve become a regular at these themed events, when FONART actually brings artisans to sell their wares in-person in Mexico City. Recently, they’ve offered holiday-specific fairs, but any will have great-quality goods. It’s a singular experience to buy artisanry in the capital directly from the artisans themselves — many hailing from Michoacán, Oaxaca, Hidalgo, Guerrero, and more. I highly recommend following FONART on Instagram or Facebook. There, the organization announces when and where its next fairs will take place. Both the stores and fairs offer goods with a wide variety of values, which makes it easy to find gifts of all shapes, sizes, and price-points. The pandemic has been especially hard on artisans here, and this is a fantastic option to support them.

5) Markets in Nearby Pueblos Mágicos

If you’re traveling in November or December, consider visiting one of Mexico’s lovely pueblos mágicos (magic towns). While you enjoy their beauty, charm, and local culture, be sure to check out the local market. These will be especially well-stocked on the weekends, when many villages set up downtown tianguis (temporary markets) filled with artisan goods. The “Christmas ornament” towns of Chignahuapan, Puebla, and Tlalpujahua, Michoacán, produce many unique, hand-painted decorations and even export them abroad. Pueblos mágicos like Tepoztlán, Tequisquiapan, and Metepec all feature their own singular artisan traditions. Visit any of the small towns I highlighted in my guide here, and you’ll be sure to give loved ones one-of-a-kind Mexican Christmas gifts with a real story behind them.

Don’t overlook neighboring cities like Puebla, Guanajuato, or Querétaro either — while these are larger and more bustling, they all boast their own marvelous artisan shops and traditions. For a unique eat, grab some fresh mole in San Pedro Atocpan, a village right within Mexico City limits.

6) Don’t-Miss Spots for Edible Delights

We’ve all found ourselves in a foreign airport, desperately searching the Duty Free for acceptable gifts. Here in Mexico City, my first few visits home saw me scrambling through mediocre mezcals, spicy gummy candies, and truly terrible chocolate. Learn from my mistakes, though, and you’ll be rewarded with delicious presents your family will be begging for next year, too.

Mexico City is blessed with many fantastic bakeries, chocolate shops, and of course, mezcalerías, but I do have a few personal favorites. For chocolates, “Qué Bo!” in the historic center, as well as Polanco and Coyoacán, makes unbelievable truffles. They often feature unique Mexican flavors like tequila and sal de gusano. During the holidays, their chocolate-studded panettone is ridiculously good. La Botica is a nice, if hipster-y, place to get great mezcal. Grab a seat and sample a few before making your decision — their cocktails are lovely as well. Rosetta Bakery’s biscotti and jars of homemade jam are my family’s gifts of choice. Their mouthwatering guava preserves go just as wonderfully on ice cream as on buttered toast.

FYI: How to Send a Gift Package To Family Back Home

If you, like me, are spending the holidays in Mexico this year, it’s not impossible to send presents abroad to family. I’m referring to North America here — packages to Europe, South America, or elsewhere may be much pricier. For the U.S. and Canada, I highly recommend DHL’s efficient service. Their packages arrive in just a few days, and they’re much less expensive than UPS and FedEx. That doesn’t mean cheap though. My four kilo (around 8-9 pound) box cost around $90 USD, or $1800 pesos, to send. Another possibility is the “Mexico Mule” Facebook forum. There, you can post that you want to send something to a certain area, and share if you’re offering any payment. Expats returning home can offer to take the item with them, and some may even be willing to drop it off at the post office once there.

While these steep prices and logistical issues might entice you into braving the Mexican postal system, just don’t do it. Also warn relatives abroad — if they send you something using their national mail service, it will enter the Mexican system once it crosses the border. Many of these packages and cards can be lost completely, or they may take many months to arrive. Tracking will become impossible once it enters Mexico.

If you’re planning to pack gifts in a checked bag, just be sure to wrap them in many, many layers. (I’ve successfully brought quite a few ceramics back to the States as gifts, to my mother’s astonishment.) Ask the shop owner or seller to wrap breakables tightly with bubble wrap or newspaper and tape shut. Fill them with your socks, and pack in the middle of clothing in your suitcase.

Have a wonderful holiday season!

All in all, I hope this humble guide given you ideas on how to find one-of-a-kind Mexican Christmas or Hanukkah presents that also support Mexican artisans and makers! While I created this with the winter season in mind, this would work just as well for celebrations year-round. Happy Holidays to you all!