Dozens of La Paz street vendors rallied outside City Hall on Tuesday, accusing municipal authorities of unannounced raids, stall removals, steep fines, and arbitrary detentions. The protest, which included corn sellers, artisans, and members of cultural collectives, brought a simmering conflict into the open: the city wants to formalize vending along the malecón and historic center, and the people who earn their living there say the crackdown is destroying their livelihoods.
A 1995 Ordinance and Decades of Informal Tolerance
At the center of the dispute is a municipal ordinance dating to 1995 that restricts street vending in the first section of the La Paz malecón. For most of the three decades since, enforcement was uneven at best. Vendors set up stalls along the waterfront and in the historic center with informal permission, paying small fees or simply occupying space by custom. Families built multi-generational businesses this way.
Carlos Eliceo, a vendor whose family has sold goods in La Paz for more than 50 years, told reporters that traditional sellers are being progressively pushed out of the historic center and tourist zones. Agustín Cruz, known locally as “El Chaparro,” described his arrest during a recent enforcement operation on the malecón. Both spoke at a press conference organized alongside attorney Azucena Meza Gómez of SOMOS MX, a civil rights organization providing legal support to the vendors.
The vendors said they do not oppose regulation. Their complaint is about how the city is enforcing it: without advance notice, without clear permitting procedures, and with what they describe as disproportionate penalties. They also alleged that some city council members have conditioned permit support on political backing for Mayor Milena Paola Quiroga Romero. Those claims, if verified, would represent a serious misuse of public authority.
At the close of the protest, the group submitted a formal petition to city secretary Jehú Vázquez. He acknowledged that the 1995 ordinance does restrict vending in the malecón’s first section but conceded that enforcement procedures need review. He said that if abuses are confirmed, the responsible officials would face sanctions.
La Paz Approved New Malecón Vendor Rules Days Before the Protest
The Tuesday protest did not happen in a vacuum. Just days earlier, the La Paz city council approved a new set of rules aimed at formalizing vendor activity along the malecón. That measure establishes designated zones, permit requirements, and operational standards for sellers on the waterfront. City officials have framed the effort as necessary to maintain public order and protect the malecón’s appeal as a tourist destination.
But from the vendors’ perspective, the formalization push looks like eviction dressed up as policy. Hundreds of families depend on street sales for daily income. Many lack the documentation, capital, or connections to navigate a formal permitting process. When the city sends inspectors to remove stalls and issue fines before a clear alternative exists, the result is economic displacement.
La Paz’s malecón is a roughly 5-kilometer waterfront promenade that draws both locals and visitors year-round. On any given evening, food carts, artisan tables, and souvenir stands line the walkway. For tourists and expats who live in neighborhoods like El Centro, Palmira, or along the coastal corridor, these vendors are part of the daily landscape. Their sudden absence, or the tension surrounding enforcement, is already visible.
Vendors Propose Rehabilitating the Old Fishermen’s Market Near Palmira
One concrete proposal emerged from Tuesday’s protest. The vendors asked the city to rehabilitate the old fishermen’s market on the road toward Palmira as an alternative vending zone. The market, which has sat underused for years, could provide covered stalls, sanitary infrastructure, and a legal framework for sellers who are being displaced from the malecón and historic center.
The idea has practical appeal. It would concentrate vendors in a defined space with existing infrastructure, reduce sidewalk congestion in the tourist core, and give families a stable location to operate legally. Whether the city has the budget or political will to pursue it remains an open question. No city official responded to the proposal publicly on Tuesday.
The vendors said they plan to continue organizing if their petition receives no response. Meza Gómez, their attorney, said SOMOS MX will pursue legal channels if enforcement abuses are documented. The next regular session of the La Paz city council is expected in May, where the vendor petition could appear on the agenda. This story was first reported by Colectivo Pericú.