Christmas tamale tradition continues at Downey's Amapola Market, with traditional prices

'Tis the season for holiday tamales, and a Los Angeles area mainstay has a line of eager cooks wrapped around the market yet again.

Amapola Market, located in Downey, has decades of experience being the go-to spot for tamale ingredients, including its iconic masa. While the lines at the market have always been lengthy as Christmas inches closer, there's another reason why many across Southern California make the pilgrimage.

Amid rising grocery prices across the nation in 2025, Amapola kept its prices in park for this holiday season, extending an olive branch to its longtime, loyal customers.

"Our customers are family," said Amapola spokesperson Itzel Mendoza. "With the fact that everything is going up in price, Amapola has decided that they don't want their customers to have to think about not being able to make something that is so traditional, such as tamales, because of how expensive it is."

Mendoza said Monday and Tuesday are expected to be the busiest days at Amapola, so those interested should look to come in as soon as possible.