Bargaining is an important part of shopping at most of the places you can go to in Juarez. In gereral, stores in the major shopping centers do not bargain on price. Most other stores will negotiate, but only if you ask. It's difficult for us to say what stores have the best prices - this is dependent upon your skills and stamina. Good luck!

Casa Mendoza
phone 12-03-04

A landmark next to a landmark. Casa Mendoza has been located directly behind the City Market since 1942. This large curio store features jewelry, pottery, Mexican dolls, Indian arts, onyx, blown glass and clay ceramic pots. It's still owned by the Mendoza family who does its best to keep the tradition of siestas alive - the store is closed from 2:30 to 3:30 each afternoon. Open daily except Sunday.

Casa Oñate
1800 block of Av. 16th de Septiembre
13-43-49

Their business card says it's the biggest shopping center and the nicest store in Juarez. Neither is true, but there is a large selection of leather goods available. Leather purses, wallets, jackets, luggage and even golf bags are stocked along with saddles, silver and turquiose jewelry and some craft items. Located in the 1800 block of Av. 16th de Septiembre, Casa Oñate is a trolley stop midway between the Plaza de las Americas and the City Market. If you're looking for leather it's worth the visit. Open Monday thru Saturday 9am to 5pm, Sunday 9am to 4pm, credit cards accepted.

City Market
Av. 16th de Septiembre
(about a one mile walk from the Santa Fe Bridge)

This is the magnet that attracts most of the tourists. With a large main floor and a second story balcony filled with booths, you'll find arts and crafts, jewelry, clothing, rugs and blankets, piņatas and all the other typical tourist items. Be prepared to be begged and pleaded to stop at every booth. Haggling over price is expected - don't ever tell anyone if you paid the first price mentioned! It is generally assumed that the best prices on typical tourist merchandise can be found here at the market. Outside is a patio where you can stop for a cold one and, if you have the stomach, a plate of tacos. Even outside you'll be accosted by children and adults hawking all kinds of goodies. There are also quite a few other stores surrounding the market. It's located on Av. 16th de Septiembre and about a one mile walk from the Santa Fe Bridge. It's also one of the last stops on the El Paso-Juarez Trolley route. Here's the kind of tourist tip you won't find everywhere: Bring your own toilet paper - or else you'll pay a few cents per sheet from an attendant outside the restrooms!

Cuauhtemoc Market
2 blocks west on Ave. 16 de Septiembre
from the intersection of Ave. Juarez. and Ave. 16 de Septiembre

The City Market is for tourists, the Cuauhtemoc Market is for Juarenses. Located just southwest of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission, this is a bustling market like you'll find in larger cities and towns in Mexico and Central America. The 3-story market building features small restaurants on the main floor and shops on the upper floors. Outside is a bustling open-air food market with fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, etc. Finding someone who speaks English is difficult, but, since it's more just a place to go to observe, communication may not be that important. If you're nervous about just visiting Juarez, this probably isn't a place for you to visit. If however you are a little more adventurous and want a truer picture of a Mexican market, it's worth seeing. We did hear that pickpockets work the area, so be careful (as you should in cities everywhere). From Av. Juarez and Av. 16th de Septiembre, go west 2 blocks on Av 16th de Septiembre, past the church, then one block south.

Decor
Corner of Ave. Ignacio Mejia and Ave. Lincoln

This three-story store is another Juarez landmark. Mexican made furniture is now the focus on the first and second floors with glass and ceramics, plus gold and silver jewelry mixed in. The enclosed glass factory on the third floor features a viewing window where you can watch artesans create hand-blown glass pieces. Good prices, shipping available. At the corner of Av. Ignacio Mejia and Av. Lincoln. Open daily 10am to 6pm, credit cards accepted.

Duty Free Mexico
Four Locations:
Av. 16th de Septiembre #531 (near the City Market)
Av. Juarez #378 (near the Santa Fe Bridge)
Pueblito Mexicano Mall
Juarez Airport

These stores specialize in perfumes and colognes, plus Swarovski crystal, Lladro porcelain figurines, TAG Heuer watches, Mont Blanc pens and fine liquers. Prices are substantially below U.S. retail, usually 25-40%.

El Patio
Lincoln #787
13-85-07

This store is a tradition in Juarez - look for the wrought iron Volkswagen Beetle parked out front. El Patio carries mostly larger items than you'll find at the markets such as furniture, lamps, tile and antiques. There is also a little market section with Mexican arts and crafts. Personnel can arrange shipping of large items via UPS or truck lines, so you don't have to worry about hauling your goodies back. Open daily.

JJ Market
Ave. Lopez Mateos #479 Norte
13-22-91

This Mexican arts and crafts store is located on Av. Lopez Mateos, on the El Paso Juarez Trolley route. It's a relatively large store with Indian blankets, rugs, Mexican dresses, pottery, onyx, jewelry, leather jackets and boots. The prices are good and the location near the Plaza de las Americas makes it a good choice for finding typical Mexican items. Wholesale and retail prices. Open daily 8:30am to 8pm.

Juarez Avenue

If you walk across the bridge at the south end of Santa Fe Street in El Paso and into Juarez you will be on Juarez Avenue. This is the main tourist strip. For a one-half mile stretch to Av. 16th de Septiembre both sides of the street are filled with small shops, restaurants, nightlubs, the Juarez Sports Book, pharmacies and liquor stores. During the day you see lots of tourists and locals roaming the streets. The stores contain good bargains and some of the more well-known restaurants like Nuevo Martino and The Florida are here. You'll also find taxis just across the bridge that can take you to other parts of town. From the base of the bridge it's only a 3/4 mile walk to the City or Cuauhtemoc markets. At night the bars come to life. The crowd after dark is primarily teenagers and young adults. The police are active in the evenings, but trouble sometimes occurs. A block or two west of the Juarez strip are the more seedy bars and clubs.

Drugs (the legal ones) are often 25-40% less in Mexico than in the U.S. Prescriptions are not needed for things like Tagamet and antibiotics. Most are made by Mexican subsidiaries of the large multinational pharmaceuticals so quality control is good. Access is good - there seems to be a farmacia on every corner. Two that cater to tourists are the Rio Grande Pharmacy on Av. 16th de Septiembre near to the City Market and Farmacias Nacional on Av. Juarez just across the Santa Fe Bridge. U.S. Customs regulations state that you can only carry the amount of a prescription for personal use back into the U.S. and that you should have a copy of the prescription.

Plaza de las Americas Mall
Ave. Lincoln near Ave. Ignacio Mejia
13-98-11

This modern mall, with marble floors, huge sky lights, a 3-screen movie theater and even an ice-skating rink resembles a newer American mall. The stores are an assortment of those catering to locals and visitors. The large S-Mart grocery store is an interesting place to browse and see the similarities and differences with U.S stores. The mall is in an area near the Bridge of the Americas that is frequently still called the Pronaf. The old Pronaf market area was torn down in the early 1990s and replaced by this modern mall. If you go to Juarez via motorized transportation (your car, a tour company, the trolley or a taxi) this area makes an excellent "base camp". Within a few blocks of the mall you'll find several stores selling Mexican crafts and furniture, plus museums, local restaurants and several American fast food restaurants including Burger King, McDonalds, and Church's Chicken. The ice rink (Pista de las Americas) opened in 1994 and offers public skating everyday with afternoon and evening hours. On a recent visit we found no one skating and the ice in extrememly poor condition.

Pueblito Mexicano Mall
1 mile south of the Bridge of the Americas

Just one mile south of the Bridge of the Americas, this three year old mall has yet to live up to its potential. Built to resemble a Mexican village, the indoor courtyard looks like the town plaza with shops and restaurants around the perimeter. It is a beautiful building with stained glass windows and intricate stone work, but its occupancy rate has probably never exceeded 50%. There are a few good curio shops and restaurants, plus a good-sized grocery store. Look for the tall clock tower as you enter the first commecial district driving south from the bridge. Free parking is available.

Rio Grande Mall
Lopez Mateos and Ave. Paseo Triunfo de la Republica

This moderate-sized mall in central Juarez is a relatively typical middle class Mexican shopping center. The largest tenants are the grocery store and department store. Others include jewelry, shoe, curio and clothing stores. The bakery and tortillaria on the southside of the mall sell Mexican pastries and corn tortillas hot from the oven and priced for the locals.

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