Mercado Modelo de Huancayo, Central marketplace in Huancayo District, Peru.

Mercado Modelo de Huancayo is a two-level marketplace in the city where vendors sell vegetables, groceries, meat, and clothing across organized sections. Different areas of the building house distinct product categories, making it easy to find daily essentials in one location.

Supply trading moved from the Plaza Huamanmarca to the Mercado Central, completed in 1928 on the block between Ica, Piura, Áncash and Calle Real. By the 1950s that building was too small for loading and truck traffic. Law No. 14700 of 1963, promoted by deputy Alfredo Sarmiento Espejo, declared works in Huancayo a national interest; construction of the new Mercado Modelo began only in 1971 because of budget delays.

The market's name, Mercado Modelo, comes from the model-market programme of the 1963 Law No. 14700, promoted by deputy Alfredo Sarmiento Espejo, which also funded the Centro Cívico, the Mercado Mayorista, the Iglesia de la Inmaculada and the Huancayo stadium. Ownership passed to the traders: the municipality ran it until 1998, and since 2005 the Asociación Única de Comerciantes Posesionarios del Mercado Modelo de Huancayo holds the property.

The building sits on a slight slope, so its interior is split into three levels: the Mantaro street level, a mezzanine, and an upper floor. Six main entrances give access, and a sunken loading dock reaches the mezzanine where meat and fish are sold. Look for the high windows with latticework that shade the interior.

The building uses a concrete arch system that creates an open trading floor with natural ventilation throughout the space. This architectural solution allows visitors to shop comfortably even during hot weather without needing mechanical cooling.