The main market is a busy, functional place that operates mainly in the mornings and provides the city's best window into daily life outside the polished historic centre. Stalls sell fresh produce from across Campeche state — habanero chiles, achiote paste, chaya (a leafy green native to the peninsula), and fresh seafood from the Gulf.
The food section at the market's centre has stalls serving regional breakfast dishes: papadzules (tortillas in pumpkin-seed sauce), panuchos, salbutes, and the black bean dishes that underpin Yucatecan cooking. Prices here are a fraction of the tourist restaurants, and the food is excellent. The market is most active from 6am to noon; by early afternoon many stalls close.