Markets: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 05:19, 8 November 2026
Markets are where the coast does its shopping. Fish comes straight from the boats, fruit and vegetables arrive from the Sierra and the inland farms, and every market has cheap comedores (lunch counters) where you can eat for a few dollars. La Libertad is the heart of it all â it is also where shops in Salinas buy their vegetables wholesale. Further north, villages on the Ruta del Spondylus have smaller markets of their own.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Biggest market area | Central La Libertad, around the Jorge Cepeda JĂĄcome market |
| Freshest fish | The fishing ports at Santa Rosa and Anconcito, and La Libertad's seafood market |
| Best time | Early morning â most markets are busiest from about 6:00 to 10:00 |
| Pay with | Cash, in small bills |
La PenĂnsula
La Libertad
La Libertad has the peninsula's main market district. The streets from Calle 6 to the Jorge Cepeda JĂĄcome market are packed with food stalls, and the area also has the wholesale traders around the 25 de Septiembre market. It is busy and crowded â keep an eye on your bag. Many buses stop right there: see Mercado Bus Stop (La Libertad).
- Mercado de VĂveres Jorge Cepeda JĂĄcome â the main market: about 270 stalls on two floors, Av. 7 and Calle 22. Fruit, vegetables, meat, groceries, lunch counters and juice stands.
- Mercado de Mariscos (Mercado No. 5) â the seafood market in Barrio SimĂłn BolĂvar, with fish, shrimp, crab and cold rooms.
- Mercado No. 4 â a smaller municipal market in Barrio Mariscal Sucre.
- Mercado 25 de Septiembre â Av. 26 and Calle 27, in the wholesale area.
- Centro Comercial Buenaventura Moreno â the municipal shopping centre for clothes and household goods, with more than 500 stalls, Av. 6 between Calle Guayaquil and Calle 19.
- Centro Comercial BahĂa Engoroy â a newer municipal shopping centre (2019) with a viewpoint over the bay, on Calle 17.
More on the area in Centro Downtown (La Libertad).
Salinas
Salinas has three municipal markets, run by the Municipality of Salinas:
- Mercado Municipal Salinas Internacional â in Salinas itself: about 140 stalls in ten sections (fruit, vegetables, meat, chicken, dairy, fish and seafood, groceries, cooked food and juices). Its vegetables come from the wholesale market in La Libertad and its seafood from the port.
- Mercado Honorio de la Cruz â in JosĂ© Luis Tamayo (Muey). Most of its 100 stalls stand empty: people prefer the shops on Muey's main street, ten blocks away.
- Mercado Municipal de Anconcito â a small market with about 16 stalls. In Anconcito most of the buying happens around the fishing port.
For fish straight off the boats, go to the Santa Rosa fishing port or the Anconcito port early in the morning.
Santa Elena city
- Mercado Municipal de Santa Elena "ElĂas Vera Rivera" â Calle Sucre and Rocafuerte, in the centre of Santa Elena. Open every day, 05:00â17:00.
The canton's own plan admits the market is cramped and crowded, and says new markets are needed in other parts of the canton.
Ruta del Spondylus
The villages north of Santa Elena are small, so their markets are too. Many people still do a big shop in La Libertad or Santa Elena and buy fish from the boats in their own village.
OlĂłn: Plaza OlĂłn â La Caraguay
OlĂłn's newer market, Plaza OlĂłn â La Caraguay, is on Avenida 13 de Diciembre and is run by the traders' association (ASOCAR OlĂłn). It sells fresh fish and seafood, fruit, vegetables and groceries "all in one place", and it is open from about 07:30 to 18:30. It is the easiest place on the north coast to stock up without going to La Libertad.
Other markets on the Ruta
The Municipality of Santa Elena lists these markets on the coast road. All three open Monday to Friday 08:30â16:30 and Saturday 09:00â13:00:
- Mercado Municipal de San Pablo â Avenida San Pablo
- Mercado Municipal de OlĂłn â on OlĂłn's main road
- Mercado Comunitario de San Pedro â on San Pedro's main road, run by the community
In other villages â Ayangue, Valdivia, Manglaralto, Montañita â you shop in small corner shops and fruit stalls, and buy fish on the beach when the boats come in.
Tips
- Go early. Fish is best before 9:00, and the heat makes everything harder by midday.
- Bring cash in small bills and your own bags. See Cash vs Card on the Coast.
- Eat at the market. The comedores serve a set lunch (almuerzo) of soup, a main course and a juice for a few dollars.
- Wash fruit and vegetables at home, and buy fish that is firm and smells of the sea. See Food Safety on the Coast.
- Ask for la yapa. Regular customers who buy several pounds often get a little extra thrown in.
- For imported goods and big shops, see Supermarkets.
See also
Sources: PDOT La Libertad 2014â2019 and 2024â2030; PDOT Salinas 2023â2027; PDOT cantĂłn Santa Elena 2023â2027; PDOT Provincia de Santa Elena 2019â2023; Plaza OlĂłn â La Caraguay (Facebook and Waze listing). Opening hours change â check before you go.