Impromptu opera regales Mexico City market-goers

The tenor breaks into song next to bunches of bananas strung high above ripe papaya. Wearing a red market apron, he approaches a woman wrapped in a purple shawl and serenades her for 90 seconds while clutching her hand and looking her in the eyes. Tears stream down the woman’s face.

The opera performance Saturday is part of an effort to bring the arts to everyday life in Mexico City. A troupe of four singers surprise shoppers at one of the city’s 300 public markets, chopping beef while they belt out romanzas, courting fruit vendors with arias or, in the case of the tenor, moving a woman to tears with lines like “eyes that cry don’t know how to lie” from the Spanish-language opera “La Tabernera del Pueblo.”

After the song, the tenor hugs the women — a total stranger before the serenade — and kisses her on the cheek. Shopper Ana Garcia, 65, says she never expected to hear “such beautiful voices” while browsing the fruit aisle.

The tenor is a market vendor himself: Francisco Pedraza sells shoes seven days a week near the Basilica of Guadalupe. He trained to sing opera via private lessons from the age of 16 until 30, but he felt excluded from the tightknit opera circle in Mexico. He performed when and where he could, often as a backup singer for bands that play regional Mexican music.

“The voice is an instrument that you have to exercise continuously to always maintain the same range,” he says.

One day in June, the opera crew appeared for a sound check at the market where Pedraza sells shoes. Pedraza, who is 50, approached the group’s artistic director. He auditioned on the spot and was invited to join the troupe. Pedraza’s wife runs the store while he’s out singing.

The singers are on tour as part of a pilot program that began in June and concludes in November. Juan Carlos Diaz, coordinator of the community cultural action program for Mexico’s national fine arts institute, says he is planning more impromptu operas in 2019.

The idea is to awaken interest in the arts by bringing opera and dance performances to places where people gather, such as public markets and metro stations. Diaz calls them “spontaneous interruptions in social life.” The fine arts institute is also coaching kids to make puppets and other crafts at city museums.

Lydia Rendon, a mezzo-soprano in the troupe who is also a music therapist, describes opera as music that makes people vibrate both emotionally and physiologically “like a magical acoustic massage.”

Bringing song to the marketplaces, between tomatoes and avocados, injects a primal element to the performance, Rendon says, since everybody eats. The concept also taps into deep cultural roots for Mexicans. Indoor markets are an adaptation of the open-air selling that has taken place in Mexico City since the days of the Aztecs.

“This is where our humanity connects — the food, the smells, the flavors — and it’s even better with music,” Rendon says shortly before launching into a sultry rendition of “Habanera” from the opera “Carmen,” green apple in one hand, plastic shopping bag in the other, capped with a giant kiss on the cheek of a woman who hawks chicken feet from a cart.

Interaction with the crowd is key to the performances. It’s a way for onlookers to feel like they are part of the spectacle and show that fine art is within their reach — to dispel notions that opera is only for elites.

The show wraps with the cheerful so-called drinking song from “La Traviata.” A vendor thanks the singers with free cups of papaya juice, while another who says he got goose bumps from the performance invites them to a round of carnitas tacos.

Jesus Montes, a fourth-generation fishmonger, lingered afterward with a spellbound expression on his face. The 18-year-old says he relished the break in routine and the introduction to another form of music, saying he listens to “classic” Latin genres such as reggaeton, a cousin of rap, and banda, which is heavy on brass instruments for a polka-like sound. Montes found the opera performance relaxing.

“Trying new things can be really beautiful, and sometimes it changes the way you think, which is what happened today,” he says.

Montes says seeing singers in aprons, intermingled with vendors, gave him a greater sense of camaraderie with them. Upon hearing that tenor Pedraza is a real-life market vendor, Montes lights up, saying that gives him hope that he can achieve more personal development himself.

“Not just anybody has a voice that powerful,” he says.

The tenor breaks into song next to bunches of bananas strung high above ripe papaya. Wearing a red market apron, he approaches a woman wrapped . . .

Follow Us On Google News | Get Our Newsletter



Trending News on PVDN

  • Where do foreigners come from and where do they live in MexicoMexico City Protest on July 5 Challenges Gentrification and Airbnb’s Impact on Housing Residents of Roma and Condesa will gather at Parque México on July 5 to protest gentrification, rising rents, and Airbnb’s effect on local housing. This Saturday, July 5, Mexico City will witness its first organized citizen protest against gentrification—a peaceful but urgent gathering taking place at 3:30 p.m. at the Lindbergh Forum in Parque México,…
  • raw-sewage-playa-los-muertos-puerto-vallartaMore Raw Sewage Dumping at Playa Los Muertos Appear to Come From Local Hotel Business owners in Puerto Vallarta are demanding action after raw sewage was discovered leaking onto Playa Los Muertos, raising public health and tourism concerns. A raw sewage leak at Playa Los Muertos in Puerto Vallarta has sparked outrage among local tourist service providers and business owners, who say the contamination is driving away visitors and…
  • puerto-vallarta-rainfall-hurricane-flossie-july-2025Puerto Vallarta braces for torrential rains as Hurricane Flossie gains strength Puerto Vallarta faces a high risk of flooding as Hurricane Flossie intensifies in the Pacific. Torrential rains and overwhelmed drainage systems pose major challenges for the city. Puerto Vallarta, a city wedged between the Sierra Madre mountains and the Pacific Ocean, is no stranger to dramatic weather shifts—but this summer, the skies are testing the…
  • puerto vallarta lettersPuerto Vallarta needs a new image to create meaningful reasons for travelers to visit Business leaders at Jalisco Tourism Secretariat forums stressed the need for renewing Puerto Vallarta image and diversifying attractions to appeal to national and international markets. Local business leaders and tourism specialists agreed this week that Puerto Vallarta needs a fresh look and a broader range of attractions to compete at home and abroad. In a…
  • José Luis Velázquez RodríguezSEAPAL Official Reported Missing in Puerto Vallarta Authorities in Puerto Vallarta have launched a search for José Luis Velázquez Rodríguez, SEAPAL's head of transparency, who has been missing since June 30. Family and officials are urging the public to report any information. Local authorities and civil protection units have launched a search operation for José Luis Velázquez Rodríguez, head of the Transparency…
  • protests3Mexico City Protests: There is a fine line between anti-gentrification and xenophobia The line between anti-gentrification and racism is clear if you choose to see it: genuine activism targets policy and practice, not nationality or ethnicity. I have lived in Mexico for two decades, and I have never witnessed the level of anti-American sentiment that exists today. All of it is tied to the buzzword "gentrification," a…
  • mexico city real estateGentrification in Mexico City is not the reason for the high cost of housing City housing shortage, not gentrification, drives prices skyward as planning lags behind demand and foreigner influence remains minimal. High real estate costs in Mexico City stem from a deep and persistent housing shortage—exacerbated by land constraints, tangled regulations and speculative investment—rather than by the presence of foreign residents. Despite headlines blaming “gentrification,” foreign-born residents make…
  • puerto-vallarta-police-chase-bahia-de-banderasPuerto Vallarta police chase ends in deadly collision in Bahía de Banderas A Puerto Vallarta police chase along Highway 200 ended in a deadly collision in Bahía de Banderas, leaving two people dead. A high-speed chase that began in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, and ended in Bahía de Banderas, Nayarit, left at least two people dead and raised new questions about police engagement and road safety in the…
  • protestProtest graffiti and smashed windows mars anti-gentrification rally in Mexico City Residents and activists joined an anti-gentrification rally in Mexico Park, but the anti-gentrification rally Mexico Park turned destructive as masked youths defaced local shops and broke windows. A rally against gentrification held yesterday in Mexico City’s Parque México drew residents from Juárez, Roma, Condesa and Hipódromo alongside local activists. Organizers billed it as the city’s…
  • no-damage-jalisco-hurricane-flossieNo Damage Reported in Jalisco as Hurricane Flossie Moves Away While Mexico's Weather Service predicted heavy rains, Hurricane Flossie causes no damage along Jalisco’s coast. The Category 3 storm brings light rain and moderate waves as it moves away from the region. The coasts of Jalisco remain calm and largely unaffected following the passage of Hurricane Flossie, a powerful Category 3 storm that is now…
Scroll to Top