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Toluca
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The capital of the state of MA©xico,
TOLUCA DE LERDO
, is today a large and modern industrial centre, sprawling across a wide plain. At an altitude of nearly 2700m, it is the highest city in the country, and comes surrounded by beautiful mountain scenery, dominated by the white-capped
Nevado de Toluca
. With only a few minor attractions, it is not a place you'll want to linger. It is, however, the site of what is allegedly the largest single
market
in the country, despite being halved in size by the city's government. Held a couple of kilometres southeast of the centre, just east of the bus station, every Friday (and to a lesser extent throughout the week), the market constitutes the overriding reason to visit, and you may just want to stop over on a Thursday night (book accommodation in advance) then move on, or even make an early start from Mexico City on the Friday morning.
The market attracts hordes of visitors from the capital, but is so vast that there can be no question of its being overwhelmed by tourists; quite the opposite, many outsiders find themselves overwhelmed by the scale of the place, lost among the thousands of stalls and crowds from the state's outlying villages. Though increasingly dominated by cheap imported goods and clothing, there is still a substantial selection of
local crafts
- woven goods and pottery above all. For an idea of what quality and prices to expect, head first for the Casa de ArtesanAas, Paseo Tollocan 700 Ote, a few blocks east of the market. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Mexico,
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