The feminist markets (mercadita feminista) of New Mexico, embodies “new economic approaches” where not just money changes hands but also there is a “barter of products, knowledge and services tailored to individual needs, from menstrual healthcare to psychological assistance or legal services.”
As the sun rises in Mexico City, Marchigua sets off on her 45-minute cycle ride from the fringes of the city to Alameda Central park. There, the 37-year-old campaigner joins a lively group arranging blankets on the pavement and putting up banners, all bearing messages in support of women’s rights.
Women wear scarves in green and purple – the colours of Latin America’s equality movement. This mercadita feminista, or feminist market, is one of several around the city – and about more than commerce.
As the pavements are transformed into a colourful canvas of merchandise, from jewellery and crafts to soap and secondhand clothes, the stalls are also a protest against Mexico’s persistent gender inequality.
On weekdays, Marchigua prints stickers and posters with slogans, which she sells or exchanges with fellow traders. She chose to work at the market after being exhausted by the discrimination and abuse she experienced in the workplace over her sexuality. She now calls herself a full-time activist.
“Part of our philosophy is to underscore the act of seizing public spaces as women and gender dissidents – a political stance,” she says, handing over a set of $2 stickers in her first sale of the day. “It’s about showcasing our capacity to sustain ourselves and generate our own resources.”
Mar Cruz, a human rights advocate in Mexico, has been following the development of the Mercaditas Feministas since 2016, when it began as a Facebook group where women sold and exchanged food and other products.
It embodies “new economic approaches”, she says, where not just money changes hands but also there is a “barter of products, knowledge and services tailored to individual needs, from menstrual healthcare to psychological assistance or legal services”.
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