Is Tepito, one of Mexico City’s most dangerous areas, safe for tourists wanting to buy fake Converse sneakers? I went to see for myself.
So I went with Miss CDMX to the Barrio Bravo on a regular Saturday during Covid-19, February 2021. We rode the Mexico City Metro Line 3 to Tepito.
We carried an ancient iPhone 3, which I stuffed in the front pocket of my jeans, just in case there was an opportunity to take a couple of photos. There wasn’t. The 2 images in this post are free stock photos.
We had 1 small bag between us, which Miss CDMX carried on her front with just a water bottle. We had a small amount of cash, less than 20 Pesos between us in our jeans’ pockets, an almost empty metro card and a small bottle of sanitiser which I temptingly had in the back pocket of my jeans (more on this later).
Exiting the Tepito metro station, we plunged straight into the markets.
Where is Tepito?
Tepito is a neighbourhood, a barrio, right in the heart of Mexico City, just a few blocks north of the Zocalo and the historic centre in Colonia Morelos.
Why does Tepito have such a bad reputation?
Tepito is considered to be the most dangerous neighbourhood in Mexico City.
On the surface, it seems like a regular market. People were pushing boxes and boxes of sports shoes through the market streets on trolleys, which locals call diablos. We saw items set out on blankets.
They say that in Tepito, “todo se vende menos la dignidad”. “everything is sold except dignity” (Grisales 2003: 1).
It has long been known as a place that traded in stolen goods. And in the 1970s, the trade in counterfeit goods and illegally imported products known as fayuca began.
Sellers would cross the border to the US, buy or simply obtain, almost impossible, hard-to-get items and sell them in Tepito.
But when these much sought-after items became more easily available, they switched to importing counterfeit products from China, much of which is stolen before the import duty has had a chance to be paid, thus costing the Mexican economy a lot of unpaid taxes. 70% of the counterfeit items in Mexico pass through Tepito.
Pirated videos used to be produced in the “La Fortaleza”, tenement blocks with hidden rooms and tunnels, which were also falsely reported to have been pulled down.
In the 1985 Mexican earthquake, Tepito saw an influx of outsiders. It was no longer just a ‘family’ of Tepito-born and bred residents.
The smuggling mafia knew that by giving stolen merchandise to the people of Tepito, they were going to be able to sell it because they already knew how to sell stolen items without the police interfering with them.
How to get to Tepito, Mexico:
The nearest metro stations are Lagunilla and Tepito which are both on Line B. But it’s not that far from Bellas Artes or Allende or the Zocalo metro stations either.
Where does Tepito get its name?
One theory is that the name Tepito comes from when the police started to use whistles, and when they began their rounds, they would tell their colleagues, “Si veo a un ratero te pito” (If I see a thief, I’ll whistle at you). Pito means whistle.
Tepito has always been a place for the poor, and a high degree of poverty and police have always liked to try and intimidate people who live in such environments, but the locals were never afraid to fight back. Hence the name, Barrio Bravo or Fierce Neighbourhood. Not for the barrio being dangerous per se.
But is Tepito really that dangerous?
Tepito is famous for what you don’t see in regular markets.
On every street corner, men, old and young on walkie-talkies.
We’d hear the static of incoming messages on the walkie-talkies that the police were on the next corner, and those selling items literally on the street would hurriedly pick up their stock on their blankets by cleverly placed loops at each corner and hustle out of sight.
Undercover cops have infiltrated the gangs, so they are wary of people who don’t belong.
But we were just looking. We weren’t talking with anyone, and we didn’t even buy a soda. We weren’t shooting photos or videos.
Tepito is not a game.
We saw a seller being caught. A ‘present’ will be paid, and they will be back on the street within a few days.
Everyone knows that these busts are staged.
He was ‘caught’ to allow those with more to play for, to escape and to allow it to be seen that the police were doing something proactive. He was caught as he was a long way down the chain of hierarchy. If he had paid a few more pesos or had a few more years under his belt, he wouldn’t have been the chosen one to have his stock confiscated, which is why they run.
But all this is just small fry.
The cartels control life inside Mexico. This is nothing new.
What is hidden inside Tepito, out of sight from regular people who come here to buy a pair of knocked-off Converse, is the harder stuff. Guns, ammo, drugs and people trafficking. It would be impossible to just wander into an area anyway, but they make sure just in case.
This is what makes Tepito dangerous. They don’t want to goings on in the public eye.
You will do well to remember that people do ‘disappear’ here in Mexico.
Sometimes, the arms and drugs that are trafficked through Tepito do get confiscated. It makes the national news. A large payment will be made, and the top names will avoid being charged.
Is Tepito Safe for Tourists?
If you just come here to buy a pair of knocked-off Converse shoes or even buy a stolen phone, there are plenty of locals doing that, nothing ain’t gonna happen to you.
Tepito is also famous for prostitution, which in itself is not dangerous, though such areas anywhere in the world at night are as sketchy AF, and the types of people who hang around in such areas, if they think they could sell the shoes from beneath you, they will. So don’t go there at night and just stick to the main streets, busy with locals just doing their shopping.
The danger comes when you start sticking your nose into business that is basically ‘none of your business’. Tepito is not a joke, and it is not a place for Instagrammers and vloggers.
So just go there, don’t do anything stupid, and later you can show off your fake Vans to your friends and boast how you survived the most dangerous barrio in Mexico City.
Tips for Tepito (if you choose to visit):
Here are some tips if you choose to visit:
- Leave valuables behind (wallet, passport, keys, bank cards, cameras, even mobile phones)
- Visit with a local if you can
- Bring only a small amount of cash
- Keep items in front pockets
- Don’t flash a camera around
- Stick to the market section of the barrio
- Do NOT visit Tepito at night