MARKET NEAR XOCHIMILCO DISTRICT, MEXICO CITY, MEXICO (19°20’ N, 99°05’ W)
This mosaic of brightly colored parasols hides a bustling, noisy market, set up for the day in a street of the capital. Shaded from the sun, stalls selling fruit and vegetables, herbal remedies, and spices sit side by side with others that sell cloth and craft artifacts. Mexico’s flourishing markets are a national institution, held daily all over the country. Like their crafts, their traditional clothing, and the façades of buildings, the markets express Mexicans’ love of vivid, bright colors, such as the brilliant pink known as «rosa Mexicana.» Internationally, Mexico was a world champion of commercial growth between 1985 and 1999. Although the national GDP doubled during this period, it is only today that household consumption has begun to rise. This trend may benefit some of the wealthier urban population, but life has not improved for the majority of Mexicans, half of whom live below the poverty line. The social unrest that has troubled the state of Chiapas since 1994 is partly due to this.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yann_Arthus-Bertrand
