Best Marketplace 2024 | Mercado De Los Cielos (inside Desert Sky Mall) | La Vida | Phoenix
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Best Marketplace

Mercado De Los Cielos (inside Desert Sky Mall)

Lauren Cusimano

Mercado De Los Cielos is so cool. The marketplace within a mall is a place of constant discovery, where narrow walkways reveal a maze of storefronts. Here's a just a few things you can do there: Shop for sparkly boots. Buy a bird. Eat a burrito. Get your nails done. Pick up hi-vis vests and other items necessary for construction jobs. Get a new battery put in your watch. Look at Virgin of Guadalupe wall art. Get a confirmation dress for your little cousin. Recharge with a cold raspado. There are actually more than 200 shops and eateries in the mercado, so there's truly something for everyone there. If you've never been, make it a point to go — it's a can't-miss shopping experience.

Best Bilingual Bookstore

Palabras Bilingual Bookstore

Rosaura "Chawa" Magaña started Palabras in 2015 with the goal of creating a space for BIPOC voices across intersections. Nine years later, Palabras is a beloved shop and community hub with a clientele eager to show support. And the voices being highlighted are not only those on paper. Palabras invites the bilingual community to events like their BIPOC open mic every second Saturday of the month. The space is vibrant — with local art adorning the walls, card games and piñatas warming up the atmosphere. Enjoy treats at the cafe portion of the store while you browse the vast selections of both English and Spanish books.

Best Spanish-Language Radio Station

La Onda (KNUV 1190 AM)

Spanish-language talk radio station La Onda translates to "The Wave" and has covered the Maricopa County area for over 18 years across news, sports and entertainment. The station focuses on local independent talent, and often brings on guests to discuss topics that affect the Hispanic community, featuring sections on finance, insurance law, prominent women and more. Set the dial to 1190 AM, or listen online to get connected to Phoenix's Latino community.

Best Place to Buy a Quinceañera Dress

Quinceañera Divaine Boutique

A momentous occasion like a quinceañera requires the perfect dress, a head-turning gown a young woman will remember wearing for years to come. Quinceañera Divaine Boutique in central Phoenix works with families to ensure that every girl looks and feels her best on her special day. Inside the elegant and spacious showroom, sales associates are patient and helpful during the selection process. But it's not just teens who benefit from the store's many options and friendly service. Quinceañera Divaine Boutique also sells prom dresses, wedding dresses, mother of the bride dresses and gowns for all occasions, ensuring that satisfied customers return to the store again and again for their formalwear needs.

Best Mexican Imports Store

Mexican Arts Imports

Maybe some people can walk into Mexican Arts Imports, buy something quickly and walk out, but not us. Any visit to the store means a minimum of 30 minutes wandering the aisle of the store, checking out the merch. Mexican Arts Imports, a family-owned business for three generations and more than 50 years, sells a staggering array of colorful items, from kitchenware and clothing to wall art and holiday items. We go there for housewarming gifts, exquisite leather handbags, party decorations and brightly colored pots for the patio. The prices at Mexican Arts Imports aren't cheap, but they're fair, and we've never been dissatisfied with a purchase. New items come in all the time, so we recommend frequent visits to keep up with what the store has to offer.

Best Dia de Los Muertos Goods

Arizona Latino Arts and Cultural Center

Decorating for Día de Los Muertos? We recommend heading down to the Arizona Latino Arts and Cultural Center and checking out the gift shop. The selection is small but excellent, and the merch is made by local artisans or comes straight from Mexico. We love to browse the representations of La Catrina and the handpainted skulls. There are also plenty of holiday-themed paintings. But the best part of taking home something from ALAC's gift shop is that we're helping support the nonprofit organization's mission to celebrate and promote the Latino presence in Arizona through arts, education and advocacy. We never need a reason to visit, but that's a pretty good one.

Best Place to See Latino Art

Xico Inc.

Amid the hustle and bustle of the First Friday artwalk, we always make it a point to stop in at Xico Inc. Founded in 1975, Xico promotes Latino and Indigenous culture through art and community engagement. The space holds a number of exhibitions each year, but it's more than a gallery; Xico Inc. hosts classes on techniques such as printmaking and 3-D printing for artists of all skill levels. Besides the art for sale on the walls and on the website, Xico Inc. also has a small on-site market. We love to shop for handmade jewelry and tiny paintings made by local artisans.

Best Place to See Lucha Libre

Por Promotions

Unfamiliar with lucha libre in the Valley? Allow us to unmask the mystery. This Mexican-born wrestling style, renowned for its colorfully masked competitors and high-flying matches, has been an iconic and integral part of Latino culture since the 1930s. In Arizona, lucha libre has entertained generations of fans and continues to thrive. Some of the best lucha action in Phoenix is found at events put on by Por Promotions. Launched in 2011, the company is one of Arizona's longest-running lucha promoters, showcasing the sport's traditions, including larger-than-life luchadores, fast-paced action and breathtaking aerial maneuvers. What makes Por Promotions the reigning champion of the local lucha circuit is its inclusive atmosphere and appreciation for its fanbase, as well as its occasional big-name bookings. Fans of all ages flock to monthly events at west-side pool hall Bull Shooters to cheer the technicos (heroes), boo the rudos (villains) and enjoy the action-packed fun. And the luchadores, who have occasionally included such legendary guests as Negro Casas and Psicosis, reciprocate by interacting with fans, signing autographs and posing for photos between matches. Por Promotions even works with rival local wrestling companies, such as an event in October when it will go head to head with Lucha Libre Voz. Better choose a side, fans.

Best Latin Nightclub

El Capri

Latin dance joints may come and go, but El Capri has stuck around for more than four decades. It's an epic accomplishment for this gargantuan Latin club, the largest in the Valley, which is filled with couples and singles on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. They come to drink, dance and celebrate as DJs and live ensembles fill both of El Capri's rooms with the sonorous sounds of cumbia, banda and Norteño. Unlike many local Latin nightspots, reggaeton and other high-energy Latin club genres are eschewed in favor of more regional Mexican styles. Those are just some of the reasons this iconic nightlife mainstay stands out from other Latin danceterias in Phoenix. Here's another: El Capri's longtime owners, the late Melchor Marques and his younger brother Pedro cultivated a strong sense of community through the club that carried over to their other business ventures, including local Spanish-language station Radio Fiesta. Pedro will carry on this tradition to the West Valley when he transforms a vacant Sears store at Desert Sky Mall into a concert, event venue and nightspot in 2025. As he told La Voz last year, it "can really be an anchor to the community." If it's anything like the original El Capri, it will likely be just as iconic.

Best Spanish-Language Rapper

El Poeta

Before Victor Fabian Lopez Leon, a.k.a. El Poeta, became a dominant force in Spanish freestyle at Punchline Phoenix, he was already making waves in Sonora, Mexico. His razor-sharp freestyles didn't just win him local battles in northern Mexico — they propelled him to Dallas, where he claimed the 2022 Red Bull Batalla regional championship. While mainstream rap often leans on mumbled lyrics, El Poeta's style is anything but. He delivers his verses with precision, packing them with an articulation that's as abundant as it is raw. "A good Spanish rapper," he says, "is defined by mastering rhyme endings and twisting them into complex, yet coherent, verses."

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