Tianguis and markets within the urban-rural gradient: acting as biocultural bridges between rural and urban areas

Abstract

The growth of the urban population in Mexico has intensified the physical and symbolic separation between rural and urban spaces. In this context, tianguis and local markets function as sites of articulation where foods, knowledge, and social relations converge, enabling the continuity of biocultural practices. This article highlights the importance of tianguis and markets in food provision along the urban-rural gradient continuum. Within these urban and peri-urban spaces, more than fifty plant and fungal species originating from agricultural plots, home gardens, and forests are traded. These practices mobilize traditional environmental knowledge and strengthen social, cultural, and economic ties between producers and consumers. Tianguis and markets allow for the reconfiguration of the relationships that intersect the rural with the urban, strengthening food sovereignty and biocultural conservation in contexts of increasing urbanization.