Ninth-grade Spanish classes at Glen Cove High School were given a lesson in commerce just before the holiday recess. Students were asked to organize their own Mexican Holiday Market, also known as a “Mercado.”

Several weeks before Navidad, market stalls – or puestos as they are referred to in Spanish – are set up in the plazas of most Mexican cities and towns.

During the holiday season, vendors sell crafts (artesanias) such as ceramics, jewelry, leather goods and traditional piñatas, as well as every type of food imaginable.

To recreate their own Mercado, students brought in home-baked goods and traditional Mexican foods and sold them to one another using imitation pesos, provided by teacher Tom Lacalamatia.

Students priced individual items based on their understanding of market value from their studies. In addition, they created signs for their puestos, as well as holiday cards and decorations.

Students were graded on product presentation, creativity, grammar and spelling. A big prize was in store for the students who sold the most goods at their puesto: bonus points on their grade.