El lado esotérico del mercado de Sonora

What does “amarre” mean in Mexican Spanish?

Amarrar means to tie up or moor a boat, so an amarre is literally a lashing — but at Mexico City’s Mercado de Sonora it means a love-binding spell, a ritual meant to tie someone to you. Vendors openly advertise amarres de amor alongside herbs and candles. The metaphor is exact: love imagined as a knot that somebody ties on purpose.

The clip tours the market itself — “el mercado esotérico más grande del país,” open since 1957 — where chamanes, santeros y curanderos offer “amarres y rituales de todo tipo,” for love, money, health or protection. The everyday verb is worth keeping too: in much of Latin America you amarras your shoes, your horse, or a boat to the dock.