This old market on bustling Praça Cayru, at the foot of the Elevador Lacerda,
resembled a true Arabian bazaar: everything was for sale - handicrafts, nets,
baskets, amulets, fruit, vegetables, spices, and Candomblé objects. Inaugurated
in 1909, during renovation of the Cidade Baixa, the market was destroyed by fire
in 1969. A year later, a new Mercado Modelo was set up in the Alfândega
(Customhouse) building, located on the same square and dating from 1861.