MERCADO DEL RASTRO, Mercado Del Rastro

Hi, I'm Alyson, your personal guide. Together with MyWoWo, I'd like to welcome you to one of the wonders of the world.

Today I'll take accompany you through the Mercado del Rastro in Madrid.

The Mercado del Rastro is one of the most picturesque places in the entire city! Madrid's historic flea market is set up every Sunday and on holidays, right here around the popular Plaza de Cascorro, which is the heart of the lively Lavapies district.

I suggest using the the statue of the soldier Eloy Gonzalo at the center of the square as a reference point to avoid getting lost in the market's chaos.

The Mercado del Rastro has inspired many of the great Spanish writers including Lope de Vega, Tirso de Molina, Cervantes and Calderón de la Barca. The name Rastro, which means "streak" is decidedly macabre: it refers to the trail of blood that animals left on the ground after being butchered in a nearby slaughterhouse. In fact, this market's origins are precisely in the trade of meat and its relative leather and skins, as its tree-lined main street called Ribera de Curtidores, or 'the tanners side', reminds us....