Una mañana en el Mercado del Mar en la Cruz de Huanacaxtle

A good option to buy fresh fish at a good price while supporting local businesses. You have to arrive very early to this place to have the opportunity to witness the arrival of the fishermen at the pier.

One of the most picturesque places in the Riviera Nayarit is the Mercado del Mar, next to the Marina Riviera Nayarit in The Cross of Huanacaxtle. Here locals and visitors find the freshest fish and shellfish, making the phrase effective “from the sea to your palate”.

The market —built in 2008 as part of the Marina— has about 30 stores that are supplied by more than a hundred fishermen who go to sea every day in their rustic boats, very early in the morning, returning loaded with all kinds of of fish and other marine products. You have to arrive very early to get a chance to witness these picturesque scenes.

While the fishermen unload their “pangas”, customers go from one place to another in search of the variety they want to eat that day, which may be tuna, snapper, dorado, red snapper, sierra, mojarra, shrimp, lobster, oysters, shrimp and much more. In addition to purchasing the product of their choice, they have the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the sea and the pier, and walking a little further admire the yachts docked in the Marina Riviera Nayarit.

Before the market existed —the tenants themselves say— the fishermen were independent workers who sold their product on their own, on the shores of the beach; but the construction of the Marina changed everyone's life, since now they can sell in a more organized way, in a fixed place, and thus people who come from other places already know where to find them.

La Cruz Market

In addition to the Mercado del Mar, during the high season (between November and April) there is a traditional street market officially called La Cruz Market, where local artisans and producers offer their handicrafts and organic products, and visitors can delight the palate with typical foods of the region.

For now, in these days when the health contingency due to COVID-19 keeps us at home, the Mercado del Mar is a good option to be able to buy fresh fish at a good price while supporting local businesses.

The place is open every day from 8 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon., of course, applying the sanitary measures recommended by the Ministry of Health of the Government of Mexico. You also have to practice Healthy Distance.

For after the pandemic...

Nearby is the town of La Cruz, with its relaxed atmosphere, its typical houses and its traditional Mexican-style plaza that contrasts with the modern Marina Riviera Nayarit. There are also very beautiful beaches, ideal for families, which are located along 5 kilometers divided into five sections: El Tizate, Cruz de Huanacaxtle, La Manzanilla, Piedra Blanca and Arena Blanca.

In the area the visitor will find, in addition to the pleasures of the beach, various restaurants where you can taste dishes prepared with fresh fish of the day.