Somewhere in Texas There’s a Pulga for You
By: Divina Ceniceros Dominguez
Laredo, Texas — a border town demarcated by the Rio Grande — is home to many notable attractions — the San Agustín cathedral, Lake Casa Blanca, or the planetarium inside Texas A&M International University. Each of these adds its unique flavor to our border town’s rich Mexican-American culture. However, if you look closely, there are some places that encapsulate the immigrant experience. Pulgas, or flea markets, are one of them.
Every Saturday and Sunday morning, the pulgas in Laredo, Texas, come alive. Hundreds of cars park in unpaved dirt roads. Little children hurriedly break away from their mother’s hands and rush to the nearest toy stand. The familiar aroma of enchiladas, handmade coconut ice cream and fresh cut mango with Tajín chili powder waft toward you as you walk. The best part of all — the authentic Mexican food comes with affordable prices.
“I am a firm believer that everyone should walk around with a mangonada and a 32-ounce agua fresca that you got for $1.50,” says Laredo resident Pamela González.
Pulgas provide affordable foods and products to immigrant, low income Latinx communities. In a 2011 study by the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, some of the communities that are home to many border town pulgas are called colonias, defined by…
