Mexico City’s Zona Rosa Ambiance Is European

Visitors to bustling Mexico City seem to find the Zona Rosa, or Pink Zone, irresistible. This neighborhood, 13 square blocks in the center of the city, boasts the finest hotels and restaurants. And the shopping is superb. The Zona Rosa is an enclave of European influence and sophistication, suggested by its street names--Londres, Hamburgo, Florencia, Genova and others. Many of these charming avenues are for pedestrians only, and are lined with delightful boutiques, shops and galleries offering an impressive variety of goods, both Mexican and foreign-made.

Best buys include clothing, all kinds of handicrafts, and jewelry. All of it is tempting, and with the peso’s built-in daily devaluation, prices get better and better for buyers with American dollars. It’s a good idea to shop around before buying. Quality and price vary greatly from store to store, and it’s always disappointing to turn a corner and see a somewhat better version of something you’ve just bought--and at half the price.

Best Selection

You’ll probably find the best selection and most attractive display of merchandise in the small tiendas , or shops. But it’s a good idea to begin your browsing in the Londres Market (on Londres, between Amberes and Florencia). The marquee reads: curiosidades Mexicanas.

Rows of stalls burst with colorful embroidered sweaters, baskets, blankets, glass and ceramics, wood and leather, silver and gems, copper and brass and papier-mache. Comparison shop stalls with similar wares, and bargain to the best of your ability. It’s a sporting event. But if you see something you really like, buy it on the spot. It may not wait for you while you look around.

Expect to pay about half of what you would pay for an item at home. Some examples: heavy woolen belted sweaters, $15-$35; women’s embroidered dresses, $25-$40; men’s formal cotton shirts, $12-$25; silver rings, $5 and up, but double-check quality; large straw carrying bags, $3-$10; silk shawls, $10; hand-beaten copper platters and bowls, $10 and up; hammocks, $18-$33; wool blankets and rugs, $10 and up; beautiful jet-black pottery from Oaxaca, $1 and up; hand-blown glass goblets, $2.50 each. The list could grow into a full catalogue of Mexican crafts.

A Hodgepodge of Quality

As for quality, the market is a hodgepodge of good and bad. With silver and gems, double check authenticity. “Jade,” for example, is likely to be dyed onyx, which is mined and processed in great quantity near the Mexican city of Puebla.

Quality is assured in some of the tiendas . For silver, Mexico’s finest purveyor is Tane (Amberes 70 and other locations throughout Mexico City), with fabulous contemporary and traditional jewelry, flatware ($70-$95 per item) and personal accessories. Tane specializes in reproductions of baroque objets d’art. Hand-beaten silver trays and pitchers cost about $2,200 and pitchers sell for about $1,100. Baskets in various sizes woven of silver strands range from $40 to $440, a silver and gold plate woven belt, $320. An excellent selection of chains of various weights and link-styles, $30 and up. Also look for precious gems handsomely set in gold and for silver-trimmed, butter-soft leather wallets. Tane isn’t cheap, but the value is exceptional.

Down the street, Los Castillo (Amberes 41) is an old and reputable silver shop. It’s headquartered in Taxco, Mexico’s silver city, and specializes in melding silver, copper and brass into lovely tri-colored jewelry and tableware. Prices are somewhat lower than at Tane, especially on silver chains ($5-$200), bracelets and rings. Look for silver plate, brass or copper trays with inlaid feathers, a Los Castillo specialty beginning at $60.

Unusual Gems, Settings

For gold jewelry with unusual gems and settings, visit Flato (Amberes 21, owned by an American, Paul Flato. You’ll find lovely sculptural settings of diamonds, pearls and rare coral. It’s an exclusive shop; prices are high, but quality is assured.

Mexico mines opals around the city of Queretaro, and you can get exceptional buys on this fiery, varied gem. Look in at the Mexican Opal Co. (Hamburgo 208), a town-house store owned by Japanese businessmen. Good quality stones of varying colors are set in silver and gold. The shop also offers leather goods, handicrafts and woolens, almost a mini-market.

For onyx, not dyed to pass for jade but sculpted to bring out its finest qualities, stop at Muller’s (Florencia 51). The owner, Guy Muller, is known as Mr. Onyx and the shop offers beautiful boxes small and large, chess sets, goblets, sculpted animals small and large, plates, bowls and platters, decorative fruit and eggs. Prices are reasonable: pendants cost $2-$4, strings of beads, $4.

The Zona Rosa has two women’s designer boutiques worth special attention. Boutique Marigen (Copenhague 31F) has striking adaptations of Indian garb in hand-loomed cotton. The colorful designs are the work of Josefa, Mexico’s prima designer, and Ana Villa’s Opus 1. Embroidery, ribbons and applique are used to enhance the lines of floor-length gowns and skirts, blouses and street dresses. Josefa dresses cost $200, Opus 1 skirts and blouses $50-$70. The store also has a wonderful selection of accessories--belts, shawls and jewelry. A tasteful look.

Hot Colors, Applique

Competition comes from Girasol (Genova 39A), another boutique with dresses, slacks and sweaters based on traditional garb. Designer Gonzalo Bauer uses hot colors and a lot of applique. Cotton-patch jackets are attractive ($90-$200). So are leather bags featuring lion’s heads and birds in their patchwork designs, about $35-$80, hand-knit sweaters ($42) and a handsome selection of accessories fills out the shop.

Leisure clothing and beach wear are featured at Aca Joe (Amberes 9), the trendy chain with outlets in Mexico’s beach resorts and in the United States. The Zona Rosa store is big and well-stocked and, because of the exchange rate, you’ll get better prices than at home: wool baseball jackets, $45; corduroy slacks, $18; T-shirts, $5; running shorts, $4; shocking orange nylon bomber jackets, $36.

Ruben Torres (Ameres 9) has a great new look in men’s and women’s casual wear. Most are made of fine T-shirt cotton or sweat shirt material in pink, gray, yellow, blue and a rainbow of pastels. Form-fitting cotton slacks cost $11; tank-top jump suits with full pantaloons, $18; a skimpy dress, $16; terry cloth sweat shirts, $13; gored cotton skirt, $15, with matching tank-top, $7, or shirt, $9.

Leather and suede clothing and accessories are sold at Aries (Amberes 24, Florencia 14 and other locations throughout Mexico City). This is a fine chain of stores, with exquisitely tailored clothing and quality accessories. Prices are high, but the items stay in style and they age gracefully. Wallets cost $22-$50; men’s shoes, $50; men’s jackets $250, women’s, $220; handbags, $50-$150; backgammon sets (a specialty), $170.

Antil (Florencia 22) also sells fine leather. A cream-colored and soft suede skirt and jacket for milady costs $400. A handsome address book is $20, a leather trench coat $450.

More moderately priced leather goods are sold at Gaitan (Copenhague 32). Hand-tooled handbags, golf bags, wallets, belts are more souvenirish, but they’re good buys and wear forever.

Should Not Be Missed

One shop that offers a different line of merchandise should not be missed. Flamma (Hamburgo 75) is a wonderful candle shop. Stepping through the door is like walking into a bouquet. Colors and scents embrace you. There are traditional tapers and inventive sculptural animals, flowers and fruits of all sorts--many too amusing or exquisite to ever experience match touched to wick. Great for gifts or souvenirs, they range from $1.50 to $35.

The Zona Rosa is bordered by Reforma, one of Mexico City’s main avenues. If you take a bus or taxi along Reforma, ask to be let out near the Angel, a monument midway down Reforma and an excellent landmark for finding the Zona Rosa.