The Maya market
Fresh from the outback 
AS A STRANGER LIVING IN A VERY STRANGE LAND, I am often jolted out of my supermarket haze by frequent reminders that many people – in fact, about half the people in the world – still live close to the land. One such reminder was recently published in Diario de Yucatán – the peninsula’s leading newspaper. It offered a whimsical yet realistic view of the fact that while some comestibles may be bought – others are caught. View more...
AS A STRANGER LIVING IN A VERY STRANGE LAND, I am often jolted out of my supermarket haze by frequent reminders that many people – in fact, about half the people in the world – still live close to the land. One such reminder was recently published in Diario de Yucatán – the peninsula’s leading newspaper. It offered a whimsical yet realistic view of the fact that while some comestibles may be bought – others are caught.
MaÃz: The pulse of Maya life 
THE DAILY RHYTHMS OF MAYA LIFE revolve almost exclusively around the planting, harvesting and processing of maize into food. Each step of the process is laborious and time-consuming, and demands the greater part of an entire day. View more...
THE DAILY RHYTHMS OF MAYA LIFE revolve almost exclusively around the planting, harvesting and processing of maize into food. Each step of the process is laborious and time-consuming, and demands the greater part of an entire day.
The Maya Market
Seeds of Maya cuisine 
ALONG WITH MAIZE AND BEANS, squash has long factored prominently in the Maya diet. While pre-Columbian peoples ate all parts of the squash – including the flesh, the flowers and even the runners – the preferred part was the seed. View more...
ALONG WITH MAIZE AND BEANS, squash has long factored prominently in the Maya diet. While pre-Columbian peoples ate all parts of the squash – including the flesh, the flowers and even the runners – the preferred part was the seed.
Wine, beer and spirits in Yucatán 
THE IMAGE OF THE GUN-SLINGING, TEQUILA-SWIGGING MEXICAN spilling out of the cantina and onto a dusty street – romanticized by the Mexican film industry and later by Hollywood – has little to do with the drinking habits of Mexicans, much less of Yucatecans. View more...
THE IMAGE OF THE GUN-SLINGING, TEQUILA-SWIGGING MEXICAN spilling out of the cantina and onto a dusty street – romanticized by the Mexican film industry and later by Hollywood – has little to do with the drinking habits of Mexicans, much less of Yucatecans.
Pluperfect Pork: ChicharronerÃas 
A CHICHARRONERÍA IS A SMALL SHOP OR RESTAURANT known for its production of chicharrón (crispy inflated pig skin) and chicharra surtida (an assortment of fried pork offal). The purpose of the chicharronerías evolved in order not to waste any part of the pig, and also as a natural by-product of the process of rendering lard. View more...
A CHICHARRONERÍA IS A SMALL SHOP OR RESTAURANT known for its production of chicharrón (crispy inflated pig skin) and chicharra surtida (an assortment of fried pork offal). The purpose of the chicharronerías evolved in order not to waste any part of the pig, and also as a natural by-product of the process of rendering lard.
History and transformation 
NO VISIT TO MÉRIDA IS COMPLETE without seeing the sprawling, colorful central market. In its present incarnation, the market is a tangled maze of alleys and warrens that is virtually impossible to pinpoint on a map. View more...
NO VISIT TO MÉRIDA IS COMPLETE without seeing the sprawling, colorful central market. In its present incarnation, the market is a tangled maze of alleys and warrens that is virtually impossible to pinpoint on a map.
PART THREE: South
PART FOUR: West
Yucatán:
A Culinary Expedition
A Culinary Expedition
PART ONE: North
Mérida
PART TWO: East
PART THREE: South
PART FOUR: West