In the heart of the La Latina neighborhood is the Mercado de la Cebada, in the square that bears the same name, since it was inaugurated in 1875 by King Alfonso XII. Its location was not accidental: that area had already been housing open-air stalls that sold all kinds of products since the 16th century. The new market followed the architectural fashion of the late 19th century, in which iron structures prevailed: the columns of this metal were brought to the capital expressly from Paris. The market was from its beginnings the Central Market of Fruits and Vegetables, until in 1934 the Legazpi Market took over, then the Barley Market became a traditional district market, which also sold meat and fish. The original construction lasted until 1958, when, to adapt to the new times, the old market was demolished and the creation of a new and more functional one began. The two floors that made up the new market were inaugurated in 1962, housing the more than four hundred merchants who occupied the premises in its period of greatest splendor, during the 1960s and 1970s. Today's Barley Market has not lost its essence, full of the color of its products and the animation of merchants and customers.