El Hueco is an area of El Centro in Medellín that is full of thousands of small shops of all types with good prices. This is an area of Medellín where you can find the cheapest prices for almost anything.
You can find so many products in this area with typically the cheapest prices in the city. You can find clothing, shoes, baby items, toys, home improvement items, sports equipment, textiles, art supplies, furniture, watches, jewelry and so much more. You can find almost anything but it may take some time to search in the large area.
I asked several police and also two Medellín mayor’s office employees in the area what the bounds of El Hueco were and I got several answers.
After some research I found that El Hueco is generally considered to be bordered on the north by Avenida Colombia, on the south by Avenida San Juan, on the east by Carrera 51 and the west by Avenida del Ferrocarril. So, this is a huge area with over 30 city blocks.
El Hueco is an area with a mix of small shopping malls, standalone shops as well as street vendors. This is a big area with reportedly over 80 small centro comercials (shopping centers) filled with thousands of small shops. And many of these shopping centers are interconnected.
In addition, there are thousands of small standalone shops and seemingly countless street vendors. In total, there reportedly are over 12,000 shops in the area that employee over 45,000 people.
The El Hueco Numero Uno shopping center
History of El Hueco
The sector of Guayaquil in Medellín has been important for the inhabitants of the city since before 1889. This was due to the Railway Station, the nearby roads, plaza de Cisneros and the market square of Guayaquil, which were combined to make it an important commercial area of the city.
In the late 1990s, merchants from eastern Antioquia began to arrive in the Guayaquil sector. Merchants were from several towns including El Santuario, Granada and Marinilla. And they opened stores in the area for the sale of clothing and other items.
The sector became a place full of different places linked by passages that formed a kind of labyrinth with multiple exits. This caused that the inhabitants of the place began to call it “El Hueco” (The Hollow).
This name began to become famous in the city. And the administrators of the El Hueco Pichincha shopping centers, El Hueco Numero Uno and the Centro Comercial Japón shopping center registered the name “El Hueco” as an international brand in 2001.
Inside one of the El Hueco shopping centers
What Shops Can You Find in El Hueco?
You can find so many types of shops in El Hueco, as there are literally 1,000s of shops. There are even a few sectors of the area that specialize.
For example, near the Cisneros metro station there are many small home improvement stores with prices that can be lower than found in Homecenter. In these small stores you can find many home improvement products including doors, cabinets, sinks, flooring and many other products.
Small home improvement stores
Also, there are a few streets filled with small shops selling textiles.
One of the many shops selling textiles
Here are photos of several other types of shops you will find in the El Hueco area:
The huge NinoLandia toy store with over 50,000 products
A store selling camping gear
One of many stores selling suitcases and bags
A sporting goods store
One of several stores specializing in threads and sewing items
One of several stores specializing in baby items
There are many clothing stores in the area
And there are many shoe stores in the area
But be careful as there are some counterfeit items being sold in some of the stores. Also, the quality of some items may be lower.
Make Sure to Bargain in El Hueco
Prices are not necessarily fixed in El Hueco. So, don’t forget to bargain when buying in the shops here.
Expressions that can be used to haggle prices including the following:
- Eso está muy caro, déjemelo más barato? (That’s very expensive, could you make it cheaper?)
- He visto esto en otro lugar por menos (I have seen this elsewhere for less.)
- No me alcanza la plata, rebájele un poquito? (I can ‘t afford that, could you take some off?)
Also, try to wear simpler clothes, which can make bargaining easier. In addition, it’s much easier to bargain if you speak Spanish. Furthermore, try to visit with a Colombian friend, as they will likely be able to negotiate better than you can.
Safety in El Hueco
There are always a lot of people in El Hueco. So, it’s generally considered a safe area. But still take precautions.
We recommend dressing comfortably as you will be doing a lot of walking. Most people who go shopping in this area (men and women) wear tennis shoes and jeans. Don’t wear shorts and flip-flops as this will identify you as a foreigner.
We recommend carrying a simple bag so you won’t attract attention in the sector. Also, it is not recommended to carry debit or credit cards, as the stores generally only accept cash.
Also, don’t flash cellphones, cameras, jewelry or money around. Pickpocketing and purse snatching are common in busy public places. Distraction is frequently the strategy, so be alert and keep an eye on your belongings.
In addition, be aware of your surroundings when using your cellphone, as cellphones are the most commonly stolen items in the city. Follow our other security tips and your risk of being a victim of crime should be greatly reduced.
How to Get to El Hueco
The easiest way to get to El Hueco is using the Medellín metro. El Hueco is generally located between the San Antonio metro station on Line A and the Cisneros metro station on Line B.
The San Antonio metro station
If you walk west from the San Antonio metro station or east from the Cisneros metro station you will be in the El Hueco shopping area.
The Cisneros metro station
In addition, you could take a taxi from anywhere in Medellín. All taxi drivers will know where El Hueco is located.
Hours: Monday to Saturday: 9 am to 7 pm, Sunday: closed
Inside one of the shopping centers in El Hueco
The Bottom Line: El Hueco in Medellin
El Hueco is a great place to find bargains in Medellín. During a recent trip I found tennis shoes for only 50,000 pesos ($16.50 USD). I had seen the exact same shoes in the Mayorca mall for 100,000 pesos. I also bought two pairs of jeans for a total of only 75,000 pesos ($25 USD).
If you go in the morning the crowds will be less than in the afternoon. Also, keep in mind that almost all the stores in the area close at 7 pm. So, the area clears out fast at 7 pm.
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19 thoughts on “El Hueco: A Guide to the Cheapest Shopping Area in Medellín”
There are many jewelry stores in Edificio Sanandrecito half a block from the San Antonio metro station. Most are on the third floor and above. Prices for necklaces and bracelets a few days before Christmas were 200,000 to 250,000 pesos per gram. I took my own scale and found that the scales in the stores were accurate, but I imagine a smart buyer could get better prices after Christmas. The security inside seemed adequate.
Where can I find quality jewelry in El Hueco?
El Hueco is huge. I have seen some small jewelry stores there but the ones I saw tended to be lower quality. However, keep in mind the area is huge with reportedly over 12,000 shops. So, there may be some with higher quality. It would take some exploring to find out.
Loved your article, I too found el hueco very convenient and exciting. I was curious if you knew how to get clothes from el hueco shipped from their markets to NYC?
It is possible that some of the small stores in El Hueco ship internationally but you would have to contact them directly to find out. There are thousands of small shops in El Hueco and most don’t have websites.
Thank you so much for the info . Jeff, can i also find Leather bags in the Hueco ?
Yes, you can find leather bags being sold in El Hueco.
Going to Medellin this December! Bookmarking this for later!
Excellent article and colorful pictures that remind me of my childhood. I hope these places don’t get replaced by multinationals like Home depot, Starbucks, etc. These people need to make a living.
Thumbs up!
Hi John, thanks. Doubtful they will be replaced as they are too popular. And the big multinationals prefer to be in more wealthy neighborhoods.
Great, will come visit next time. Had been getting good deals at Mayorica Outlets.
Excellent write-up but I’m a little skeptical as I’ve been told that nearly all of the clothing/shoes are counterfeit in places like these. Was I misinformed that most of the brand name clothing items sold en masse by vendors in Medellin are knock-offs? I will say that on my last trip to Medellin, I found it very difficult to find dress quality men’s clothing and shoes even at the mall department stores. Nothing is more discouraging than finding an excellent pair of dress Oxfords only to be informed that nobody in Medellin carries anything beyond a US size 11 in shoes.
Major International brands may be counterfeit so need to be careful, particularly with major brand tennis shoes. But most of the clothes being sold in El Hueco in my experience are local brands.
Jeff: I don’t know how old you are, but I can tell you from experience in the US that the issue of quality and craftsmanship has been going downhill for decades. This is called built-in obsolence so that even expensive products are crappy designed to last a lot less than what they used to be. It is a global plot to force you to buy new stuff because things break and cannot be fixed or last very long.
You are correct. Quality varies from original to AAA to AA and lower. Colombia is much like China. Countless counterfeiters. Some quite good actually. Beware of copied Nike etc. Most look great but look for hand stitching under the insole. Most are significantly inferior to the real McCoy. Let the buyer beware. Have fun. Be careful. Hueco reminds me of a Souk in Marrakech. Guard your belongings. Hide / Guard your cell phone.
I love bargaining in El Hueco. If a vendor doesn’t budge on the price simply leave and say gracias. LOL when I do this many vendors chase me down with a better price.
Yes, walking away works in my experience also to get a better price.
I love El Hueco. Every pair of jeans I own I bought in El Hueco. They are very inexpensive, durable and fit very nicely.
Super shopping in a neighborhood filled with pickpockets and bag stealers. Don’t go alone and don’t dawdle. Great deals but many counterfeit and stolen items sold in the area some AAA quality some much lower. Be aware and have fun. Many great bargains. Take great care in buying cell phones. Many stolen or imported from Panama or US. Companies like Samsung will not honor a non Colombian market phone. Better to buy in Jumbo or Exito on sale days. Great Article Medellin Guru.