La Marqueta (East Harlem)

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"Hope Among the Plantains," Alex Mindlin, "The New York Times," May 18, 2008, City Section p.7] , 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 ["Market in Harlem Opened by Mayor," " The New York Times," 5 May 1936, p.24] , 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. Today, three of the original five buildings that housed the market have been burned or torn down, and a fourth is shuttered. As of May 2008, only four vendors were operating out of the last building.

The city of New York has repeatedly tried to revive La Marqueta but has failed to find a viable business model that also pleases local residents and politicians.

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