La Marqueta

East Harlem (El Barrio)

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La Marqueta is a marketplace under the elevated Metro North railway tracks between 111th Street and 116th Street on Park Avenue in East Harlem. In its heyday in the 1950s and 1960s, over 500 vendors operated out of La Marqueta and it was an important social and economic venue for hispanic New York. The New York Times called it "the most visible symbol of the neighborhood." It has since dwindled.

The market was originally an informal gathering place for pushcart vendors and other merchants, but since 1936 it has been officially sanctioned, and vendors rent their stalls from the city. It was once possible to buy food, traditional medicines, recordings of Latin music, and supplies for charms and curses at La Marqueta.

Globalization has taken its toll, however, and it is now possible to buy Latin and Caribbean items from countless bodegas and other shops in the neighborhood, rendering La Marqueta largely redundant.

More information on La Marqueta

Incubator Kitchen Planned for La Marqueta

Community Shopping East Harlem (El Barrio)