Tianguis Cultural del Chopo — commonly known as El Chopo — is a long-running Saturday flea market in Mexico City and one of the city’s most important countercultural meeting points. The word tianguis comes from Mexican Spanish and refers to an open-air market. El Chopo takes its name from its original location near the Museo Universitario del Chopo.

Depending on perspective, the market has been described as “the Punk Market,” “the Metal Market,” or “the Goth Market,” reflecting the diversity of subcultures it attracts. Since the late 1980s, El Chopo has been based near Metro Buenavista, along Aldama Street in the Colonia Guerrero district.

Originally, El Chopo emerged as a trading space for hippies exchanging 1960s memorabilia, including records, clothing, magazines and books. Over time it evolved into a broader countercultural hub and became a regular gathering place for followers of metal, punk, goth, grunge, ska and related underground scenes. Today, vendors sell records, CDs, tapes, clothing, patches, zines and other collectibles, while informal live performances by local and touring bands often take place toward the rear of the market.

At the northern end of El Chopo, near the corner of Aldama and Camelia streets, is an area known as Espacio Anarcho-Punk. This section focuses on books, films and printed material with anarchist and radical political perspectives. Many vendors involved in this area also contribute to a weekly zine of the same name, which addresses local social issues and political activism.

ADDRESS:
C. Juan Aldama, Buenavista, Cuauhtémoc, 06350 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico

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