For this street vendor, an early morning rise is a must to stock up his mobile cart, preparing for a long day in the sun. Long hours, exposure to weather, and lack of access to restroom facilities are common challenges faced by street vendors. One of the benefit of having a mobile cart is the possibility of changing location along with diversifying their products to attract new buyers.

Street vendors that own a cart decorate them using color and lights to attract buyers. These street vendors are near a boardwalk where the local government has allowed them to use this space. There is safety is numbers, especially at night. This line up of colorful carts attract more attention from locals and tourists curious or looking to buy a treat or a souvenir. This arrangement reduces the solitude that many street vendors experience and allows for the formation of a supporting community among them.

Many street vendors use sidewalks and pedestrian streets as their main platform for selling their goods laid out on the ground for all to see. They can quickly cover or gather their products if it rains or when hassled by the police. The problem begins when there are too many of them taking up much of the sidewalk or the street. Most notable in the cities of Oaxaca and Mexico City during the prime tourist season.

In Oaxaca, at the Zocalo (plaza) and pedestrian walks, street vendors line up next to each other to sell their goods primarily to tourists. These solo vendors are part of a community that supports each other and work collaboratively as best as can be expected under what is a competitive environment.

A substantial number of street vendors are women of all ages. As solo vendors, they are more vulnerable to being victimized. Safety during daylight and night requires women to strategically chose locations that minimize potential harm to themselves and their products. This commercial street is very popular where there are retail businesses open late and plenty of pedestrian traffic offering both safety and a greater chance for this woman to sell her products. The photo as taken also reflects on the solitude that solo vendors experience throughout their working hours. At the end of the day, there is still the packing up of her merchandise, hauling it home and the food preparation for the next day

Street food is huge in Mexico. It is popular among both locals and tourists. The food is less expensive, allowing many folks, including street vendors, to afford a meal without it eating too much into their daily earnings. There are many Mexican popular treats that are homemade and sold on the streets. There appear to be no license requirements, which can be a bit scary. This woman is frying some type of tamales in corn oil or lard. The selling of street food is critical to financially supporting many households unable to find employment due to lack of skills.

This photo is also taken at the Zocalo. The woman is also part of a lineup of vendors, but in this case, she is using the street and sidewalk to expose her merchandise to interested buyers. These colorful baskets are a bit clumsy to carry around, limiting her ability to approach buyers like other street vendors do.

Both temporary and permanent stalls for selling food and produce can be found throughout the main zocalo and corridors offering food that is less expensive than what locals can buy in a supermarket or bakery. Temporary stalls such as this one in the photo are generally near neighborhood Mercados, where most locals go to buy food. Municipal government limits or lack interest in increasing opportunities for street vendors to acquire a permanent stall. There is also much corruption that prevents many vendors from accessing permits.

These women have situated themselves near the entrance of a Mercado to catch customers as they are entering the marketplace. They are actually blocking the entrance to a vendor that does not open on the weekends. For many street vendors, securing a permanent stall would allow them a steadier income. However, it is not as easy to secure due to lack of resources, regulations and paperwork required by the city and corruption.

This stall in situated inside a Mercado where this vendor sells a variety of spices. The permanence of a stall allows the vendor to not worry about hauling its merchandise home every day. The vendor can take full advantage of the Mercado’s captive customer-base. There is also the opportunity to connect with other vendors to sell spices to. More importantly, the municipality sees them as a legal entity properly regulated.

Many farmers and their families are also street vendors. They offer access to produce at cheaper prices than in the food markets sometimes freshly picked the day before. Farmers and their families represent a substantial number of street vendors selling their harvest at a stall they have secured at a Mercado (marketplace) or on street corner such as this one.

These carts are very popular and are primarily seen around neighborhoods and commercial corridors, less in the tourist area. These carts are built to contain several large pots for selling a full meal where the food is kept hot. Some of these carts are attached to a bike such as this one. Most are stationed at some corner street where there is sufficient traffic between cars and pedestrians. They can also move to different locations throughout the day, such as commercial corridors, parks, or special event venues.

The next several photos highlight the lack of free or affordable childcare available for low-income earners and street vendors. In this photo, the mother must bring her child to work, as leaving him alone is not an option. Besides hauling boxes of produce, she also must manage the caring of her child. How to keep a child engage all day can’t be easy for any parent to do. However, teaching him the business almost come naturally.

I watched this young attractive mother for at least 30 minutes as she seamlessly moves around with her bundle sound asleep on her back and a toddler by her feet. She moved from place-to-place approaching folks, mostly women, to buy her shawls. Her location is ideal in the Zocalo where there is much pedestrian traffic and is safe as night approaches. In Mexico and globally a substantial number of vendors are female heads of households.

This young mother found a permanent location for the selling of her homemade food, allowing her to manage the care of her baby sitting down. Even though it is common to see children with their parents, it’s not the best situation. One admires the fortitude that it takes to do this most days. Much harder to do when the children are babies or toddlers who have so many unpredictable needs.

Childcare is something that both parent partake when need so. In this photo you have a father going about the business of selling while his toddler is being entertained on his mobile phone. Parents juggles as much as possible using every tool as their disposal.

As children become older, they become a helping hand to their parents. Early on, this child begins to learn and understand why his parent is carrying so many hats. He begins to see the exchange between money from a buyer and the hat. He partakes in helping sell hats by both exhibiting them and engaging with the buyer.

The children in this photo are older and therefore becoming more independent. They can sell on their own, having learned the business from their parents. As youngsters, they seek friendship among others like them. This becomes part of their neighborhood or network of friends growing up. It also speaks to kids being kids, doing what their parents ask them to do but also not stop being a kid

In Oaxaca you see in the Zocalo area many children sitting by the sidewalk curb drawing, doing their homework, reading or chatting with other children. These children accept donations for producing their own artworks. Using small rocks, they neatly organize these art works for others to see. These youngsters become part of a supporting community among street vendors. Parents are within distance, making sure that their children are being watched by themselves or other parents just like them. One can see that these kids are well dressed with their backpacks, books, and notebooks. This is socially and culturally acceptable in Oaxaca as childcare services is not an option for many solo vendors. The best part is that children are able to adapt seamlessly. They quickly make friends with other children much like them, creating lasting friendships.

Mexico has an abundance of artists and artisans that sell their work as either solo vendors or as part of a cooperative or belonging to a “taller” where they teach and sell. This vendor sells both her work and that of others, mostly on the weekends. She teaches in a taller during the week.

Musicians are another popular performer that includes every age bracket and the blind. This violist is very popular playing every day at the zocalo in the city of Puebla. He uses the viola to play contemporary music that appeals to a diverse audience. It is also common to see the blind both singing and playing an instrument accompany by a companion.

Artists in Mexico especially in Oaxaca, (Mexico 's art center) range from being street vendors to gallery owners. Many have temporary and permanent stalls while other use the sidewalks and the streets to exhibit and sell their work.

There are a series of performers who masquerade in beautiful costumes offering up the choice of selecting a fortune card from the basket or a photo in return for a donation. The costumes by these performers are quite elaborate, as in the case of this angel with wings extending the basket to get your attention

It is late at night, the tourists are gone and it's time for this vendor to pack up and ride his bike home to prepare for another day. Being a street vendor is hard work, dignified and an asset to the economy of Mexico. Although municipal government some time disapproves of street vendors, they cannot stop them. The simple fact is that much of Mexico’s culture, economy and tourism is tied to street vending. The sustainability of vendors is something we should all be concerned with when traveling internationally. This is why it's important for tourists to prioritize some of their purchases to buy from local street vendors. Also, too much haggling can be disrespectful not valuing the vendor’s craft and living standards. The exchange rate and cost of living in most cases will favor the tourist. As travelers we can be better global citizens by recognizing the significance of street vending as a economic engines in supporting working families.