Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Mexico Mexico City Mercado de Sonora

Mercado de Sonora

Superstitious? Discover the witchy side of Mexico through its largest esoteric market.

Mexico City, Mexico

Added By
Laetitia Barbier
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
  Melody Jean Moulton / Atlas Obscura User
Mercado de Sonora   rjhemedes / Atlas Obscura User
Mercado de Sonora   rjhemedes / Atlas Obscura User
Mercado de Sonora   rjhemedes / Atlas Obscura User
  Melody Jean Moulton / Atlas Obscura User
  Melody Jean Moulton / Atlas Obscura User
Mercado de Sonora   rjhemedes / Atlas Obscura User
Mercado de Sonora   Laetitia Barbier / Atlas Obscura User
Mercado de Sonora   rjhemedes / Atlas Obscura User
  Melody Jean Moulton / Atlas Obscura User
Mercado de Sonora   rjhemedes / Atlas Obscura User
Mercado de Sonora   rjhemedes / Atlas Obscura User
Mercado de Sonora   rjhemedes / Atlas Obscura User
Mercado de Sonora   rjhemedes / Atlas Obscura User
Mercado de Sonora   rjhemedes / Atlas Obscura User
Mercado de Sonora   Laetitia Barbier / Atlas Obscura User
Mercado de Sonora   rjhemedes / Atlas Obscura User
Mercado de Sonora   rjhemedes / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Are you broke? Your spouse left for another lover? Is your soul dirty and filled with bad energy?

For just about anything that ails you, there's a solution in the Sonora Market, the largest esoteric market in Mexico and a must-see for those interested in mysticism. Local vendors have an answer to any of life's daily troubles in the form of a magic soap, a holy water spray, or a love potion that uses toloache, a plant with hallucinogenic properties. The span of products offered is immense, ranging from fruits and vegetables to bread or shampoo or caged animals from chickens to dogs and rabbits. You can buy just about anything. 

A large array of vernacular religions are represented in Sonora, from Voodoo to la Santa Muerte via Brujeria, the Mexican term for sorcery which comes with its own bizarre recipe. A number of these beliefs are practiced by people alongside their Catholic faith, a syncretic phenomenon with the most incredible imagery and rituals. 

Related Tags

Voodoo Relics And Reliquaries Cultures And Civilizations Rites And Rituals Purveyors Of Curiosities
Atlas Obscura Adventures

NEW - Yucatan: Astronomy, Pyramids & Mayan Legends

Mayan legends, ancient craters, lost cities, and stunning constellations.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

Laetitia Barbier

Edited By

Junost Apodo, rjhemedes, Melody Jean Moulton

  • Junost Apodo
  • rjhemedes
  • Melody Jean Moulton

Published

June 30, 2013

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Mercado de Sonora
Fray Servando Teresa de Mier 419
Merced Balbuena
Mexico City, 15810
Mexico
19.420583, -99.124863
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Sweets Section at Mercado de la Merced

Mexico City, Mexico

miles away

C5

Mexico City, Mexico

miles away

Pyramid of Ehécatl

Mexico City, Mexico

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Mexico City

Mexico City

Mexico

Places 180
Stories 17

Nearby Places

The Sweets Section at Mercado de la Merced

Mexico City, Mexico

miles away

C5

Mexico City, Mexico

miles away

Pyramid of Ehécatl

Mexico City, Mexico

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Mexico City

Mexico City

Mexico

Places 180
Stories 17

Related Stories and Lists

9 Sacred and Superstitious Voodoo Sites You Can Visit Today

voodoo

By Molly McBride Jacobson

Shopping for Spells: Exploring Four of the World's Witchcraft Markets

witchcraft

By Cynthia Pelayo

Morbid Monday: La Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint

morbid monday

By Laetitia Barbier

Related Places

  • Haut Saut d'Eau, Haiti

    Saut-d'Eau Waterfalls

    Thousands of Haitians travel to the waterfalls to ask the Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel and her voodoo counterpart Erzulie for healing in a yearly pilgrimage.

  • Yasmine, the first mummy discovered in the ‘Asi-al-Hadath grotto.

    Beirut, Lebanon

    Maronite Mummies of the Qadisha Valley

    Mummies preserved naturally for seven centuries.

  • Pomuch, Mexico

    Pomuch Cemetery

    Once a year in Pomuch, the dead are taken out for a cleaning.

  • Bolivia’s Witch Market

    La Paz, Bolivia

    Bolivia's Witch Market

    Popular tourist destination where witches in dark hats sell dried llama fetuses for good luck.

  • Footprints

    Kgatleng, Botswana

    Matsieng Footprints

    Local legend has it that the first humans were created in the pools here, leaving their footprints behind in the rock.

  • Chios Rocket War.

    Chios, Greece

    Chios Rocket War

    Two churches shoot bottle rockets at each others' bell towers in an unusual Easter celebration.

  • A monster with two smaller monsters in tow.

    Mohács, Hungary

    Busójárás

    Festival of Perpetual Life and Rebirth.

  • Other logs lie in wait for purchase and an eventual fireplace beating

    Barcelona, Spain

    Tió de Nadal

    Catalonia Tradition: Beating the hollow Christmas log until it defecates in your fireplace.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

See Fewer Ads


Become an Atlas Obscura member and experience far fewer ads

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube Twitter Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Puzzles
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.