Maracay Shopping and Districts

(Maracay, Aragua, Venezuela)

Like most large cities all over the world, Maracay has fallen prey to the lure of the American-style shopping mall. The Centro Comercial Las Americas is just one of many such malls located in the city centre and around the rest of the city, with more under construction.

The Garden City Mall, the Centro Comercial, the Centro Comercial Maracay Plaza, the Grand Bazaar and the Centro Comercial Hyper Jumbo shopping centres are all in the same style found all over the world - lots of small shops and stores, fast-food outlets and a supermarket, with a cinema or two thrown in.

When to Shop and Where

For a more freestyle shopping experience, Maracay's giant central market, the Mercado Principal, will take a while to get round, but will be much more fun.

Family shopping for everyday items is easy here, either in the markets or the local stores. Traditional local crafts can be found in the markets and in a few specialist stores around the centre.

Venezuelan handicrafts are a tradition of fire and earth, with very little influence seeping into Amerindian designs from the many foreign cultures here. Indigenous pottery is beautiful, as well as useful, and is available in Maracay, at the markets and specialist shops.

Amerindian textiles are famous for their bright colours, geometric designs and tight weaves, being made up into everything from blankets to clothes and bags. Most textiles are created in family or small local workshops. Traditional Venezuelan crafts can be purchased at the markets and in a few gift stores in the city centre.