The curious Toy Cemetery at Coyoacán Bazaar – Mexico
2 min read
We are in Coyoacán, Mexico. Known officially as the Mercado Artesanal Mexicano (Mexican Crafts Market), but colloquially as El Bazar, this market is a reference point in city center. Located on the Street Felipe Carrillo Puerto in Coyoacán, in this market you can find different Mexican art such as bracelets, clothes, toys, incenses, necklaces, tattoos, plants and “alebrijes”, brightly colored Mexican folk art sculptures of fantastical creatures.
A place full of color, tradition and life, where you can find the crafts that characterize Mexico.
However, hidden beneath the small cacti and leafy plants on its entrance, you can find something of a time capsule.
Over the years, toys have been left here to give them something like a final resting place. It’s possible that the practice was started by the Bazaar’s merchants themselves, as some of the stands sell retro and vintage toys much like the ones found in the “cemetery.”
A majority of the objects here are plastic representatives of Western pop culture, but you can also find Mexican franchises such as El Chavo del Ocho and Huevocartoons among the figures. The finds extend beyond toys as well, with kitschy decorative porcelain dogs resting side by side with the likes of Winnie the Pooh and Chabelo, but also angels and saints.