La Dalia

La Dalia: A Traditional Market in Santa María La Ribera is a book dedicated to young readers, especially those who live in the neighborhood. It celebrates the cultural legacy of the local market. This book speaks to children, but also to the child in every neighbor—to their recollections, their daily joys, and their ideals. The stories re-created or imagined by the authors aim to reinforce a legacy of love for nature and the Mexican countryside. Each chapter and observation emphasizes the importance of appreciating the ethics supporting our habits of consumption—what we buy and from whom we buy it. They highlight the rich variety of our cuisine, its nutritional virtues, and the underlying human efforts in each economic exchange.

This book also stresses the reasons that neighborhood markets are central to the ways in which we connect to our environment. Protecting nature, rural areas, justice, and everyone’s human values depends on the economic health of local markets and the small farmers who make them possible. It also depends on our personal decisions as consumers.

Crucial to the education of future generations is an understanding that sustainability and the protection of nature, diversity, and the environment are key ethical issues. The main objective of this book is to contribute to an education that promotes critical thinking and commitment that encourages active engagement with society.