A so-called Sunday Jungle Market (Calle 2, Zona Urbana, tel. 998/208-9148, 9:30 a.m.–2 p.m. Sun., Dec.–Easter only) is held at Casa Cacahuate bed-and-breakfast in the residential part of Puerto Morelos, on the other side of the highway. This cheerful family-friendly event is facilitated by the nonprofit founded by the bed-and-breakfast’s owners. The market includes a variety of handicrafts produced by local women, as well as tasty food and drink. A traditional Maya dance is held at 11:30 a.m.

The artisans’ market of Hunab Kú (Av. Javier Rojo Gómez s/n, 9 a.m.–8 p.m. daily) may be your best bet for finding handicrafts in Puerto Morelos. Here you’ll find a bunch of stands with colorful blankets, ceramics, hammocks, masks, jipi hats, shell art…pretty much anything you’ll see sold up and down the coast.

The best and largest English-language bookstore on the peninsula, Alma Libre Bookstore (central plaza, tel. 998/251-1206, www.almalibrebooks.com, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. and 6–9 p.m. daily, closed June–mid-Nov.) has a whopping 20,000 titles, ranging from “beach trash to Plato,” in the words of the friendly Canadian owners. There’s Maya culture, Mexican cooking, learning Spanish, bird-watching, snorkeling guides, classics, philosophy, mysteries, fiction, nonfiction—not just in English but Spanish, French, German, Dutch, Italian, Norwegian, and more.

Books are both new and used, and trade-ins (two for one) are accepted. The store also has a wide selection of guidebooks and maps; check the website for tons of additional information or sign up for their email newsletter.