Coyoacán Bazaar Toy Cemetery

Known officially as the Mercado Artesanal Mexicano (Mexican Crafts Market), but colloquially as El Bazar, this market is a reference point in Coyoacán’s center. But hidden beneath the small cacti and leafy plants on its entrance, you can find something of a time capsule.

Over the years, toys have been left here to give them something of a final resting place. It’s likely the practice was started by the Bazaar’s merchants themselves, as some of the stands sell retro and vintage toys much like the ones found in the “cemetery.”

While a majority of the figures here are plastic representatives of Western pop culture, you can also find Mexican franchises such as El Chavo del Ocho and Huevocartoons among the denizens. The figures extend beyond toys as well, with kitschy decorative porcelain dogs resting side by side with the likes of Winnie the Pooh and Chabelo, and angels and saints giving the space an almost shrine-like feeling.