11 Best Shopping in Yucatán and Campeche States, Mexico

This government-run bazaar offers a wide range of local crafts, including some that are hard to come by—like bull horns carved into necklaces and earrings using an old technique that only a small number of families in Campeche State still know about. All prices are fixed, so there's no need to bargain.

As its name implies, "popular art," or handicrafts, are sold at the Parque Santa Lucía on Sundays beginning at 9 am.

This family-run outfit specializes in hammocks and has many sizes and designs.

The only place in town to buy folk art from all over Mexico is just off the main square at the San Miguel Hotel. You'll find something to suit any budget, including a collection of textiles.

Located on the main square—right next to the restaurant Atrio de Mayab—this small shop sells a well-curated and diverse selection of clothing, crafts, jewelry, pottery, and masks from throughout Mexico.

This government-run craft store offers all kinds of items, both from the state of Yucatán and other parts of Mexico, at fair prices. There's a smaller location in front of the Palacio Cantón on the Paseo de Montejo, but this main branch offers the best selection.

La Isla inches ahead of The Harbor when it comes to store selection, though both have pulled ahead of their competitors for the title of most-luxe mall in town. The department store Liverpool is the anchor at La Isla, but Zara and H&M are also big draws. The back of the mall has a row of restaurants overlooking a man-made lake. As with any of Mérida's malls, it may not be on your sightseeing shortlist, but if you have a longer stay in the city, air-conditioned window shopping may be appealing on warm days.

The Mérida-based bookstore chain Dante, with a location on Plaza Grande as well as eight others around the city, has the best selection of Spanish-language books about the peninsula's history, culture, cuisine, and more. It is especially strong on books for kids and works dealing with Yucatecan flora and fauna. This branch is the largest of its locations, a little north of central Mérida on the Prolongación Paseo de Montejo.

Although many deal in the same wares, the shops and stalls of the García Rejón Crafts Market sell some quality items, and the shopping experience here can be less of a hassle than at the nearby municipal market. You'll find reasonable prices on palm-fiber hats, hammocks, leather sandals, jewelry, handmade guitars, and locally made liqueurs. Persistent but polite bargaining might get you even better deals.

The city's commercial heart is its main market, where locals shop for seafood, produce, and housewares in a newly refurbished setting. You'll find little of tourist interest here, but the clothing section has some nice, inexpensive embroidered and beaded pieces among the jeans and T-shirts. Adventurous eaters can also find a bargain meal of local dishes like salbutes (a deep-fried tortilla dish). Next to the market is a small yellow bridge aptly named Puente de los Perros—four white plaster dogs guard the area.

One of the nicest malls in Mérida wraps around an artificial lake—you can even zip-line over it. Its main anchor is Gran Chapur, a department store, sitting amid a number of smaller boutiques. The Harbor also has a movie theater as well as a number of restaurants: Maya de Asia has delicious Maya-Asian fusion dishes; Porfirio's is a lively Mexican bar and restaurant; and there are smaller venues including a Starbucks, Mr. Sushi, and Hamburgesia for, yes, burgers.