Markets Around the World: Medieval Market in Alicante, Spain

Whenever I travel to far away lands, a main priority on my agenda is to stop at the local markets. Within each city of every country there are unique characteristics. These details are vivid as you walk through the stalls where vendors and locals gather and share their cherished and most used items: tropical fruits or coconut broom sticks, Mediterranean spices and lanterns, or wine, cheese, and paintings… My photo series of “Markets Around the World” are representations of the uniqueness of individual cultures and the basic need for human interaction, exchange and communion.

Living in corporate America where we stroll through mega supermarket chains, grocery carts in tow in search of the next best processed product of artificially preserved “goods” sealed in boxes or cans, has made me appreciate these places in which the natural, pure, hand crafted are still regarded with value and esteem. For me, shopping in supermarkets feels more like a chore compared to shopping in small markets where you can experience real human synergy instead of the mandatory “Here’s your receipt, Thank you.”

Alicante, Spain. Occurring the first week of June, the annual medieval market takes place in el Barrio, one of the oldest neighborhoods of Alicante, located below the Santa Barbara castle and surrounding city hall. Foreign vendors are dressed in medieval costumes while selling food, clothes, arts and crafts, jewelry, etc.