Category: Mexican Tourism

Influenza Porcina::Swine Flu in Mexico–We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Programming…

Mexico City residents currently ride the Metro, the Metrobus, and all other public transportation in surgical masks. (Photo courtesy Reuters.)

Mexico Cooks! was in
Mexico City from Thursday morning April 23 until Sunday night the 26th. I saw firsthand the start of the developing outbreak of a health emergency. The reality of what is essentially a government-mandated quarantine from the outbreak of la influenza porcina (swine flu) here in Mexico has been disastrous. On the one hand, people are sick and some have died of this flu. On the other hand, business closures have created economic havoc. And on the other hand (if you still have another hand free), tourists are staying away by the thousands.

In Mexico City, all museums
are closed, all cultural events are canceled, major religious celebrations are
prohibited, big sporting events are canceled or played behind locked doors with
no public in attendance. Movie theaters are dark. Bars and nightclubs are closed. All
restaurants are forbidden to offer table service–it's take-out only until
further notice.

On Friday afternoon at Superama in Morelia, only a few bags of frijol bayo remained on the shelves. Frijol negro (black beans), less commonly cooked here, were more plentiful.

Supermarket shelves are emptying fast; people are stockpiling
food with no knowledge when or even if it will be replenished. The government has ordered
that pregnant women and nursing mothers be allowed to stay home from work with
full pay and no penalty.

This block of Calle Sánchez Tapia, in Morelia's Centro Histórico, runs in front of the Conservatorio de las Rosas (the building to the left in the photo), the oldest music conservatory in the New World. Normally the street and sidewalks are clogged to the point of gridlock with cars and pedestrians. Mid-afternoon on Friday, the street was deserted save for a few parked cars and one young man walking in the shade.

Mexico City's streets are also empty. Last Sunday morning, I strolled
(STROLLED!) across Avenida de la Reforma, one of Mexico City's broadest and
busiest (and most beautiful) streets–no cars were out at all. All events and parades for May 1 (Labor
Day) were canceled, as were all events for Thursday's Día del Niño (Children's
Day).

Just a few packages of imported spaghetti remained on Superama's shelves, although some national brands are still plentiful. News sources report that spaghetti, bread, and milk are scarce in most supermarkets.

Friday afternoon even this elephant looked downhearted. Morelia's zoo, ordinarily crowded with children and adults, is closed until the flu situation passes. Mexico Cooks! snapped the photo from the sidewalk outside the zoo. Zoo employees were busy feeding animals and making small repairs.

Everywhere in the country, tourism is over, at least for the foreseeable future. All archeological sites in the
entire country are closed. Tour companies are canceling bookings for anywhere
in Mexico and redirecting the tours to other countries. Some airlines have refused
to land flights in the country. Friends who own B&Bs in various locations
are panicked–not for their own sakes, but for the sake of their employees. One
friend says that the last of her current B&B guests depart Mexico today (Saturday, May 2); after
that, she will be forced to close her two B&Bs until this crisis passes, as
every client who was to arrive during the coming weeks has canceled. She's devised a highly creative way to keep her employees working at least part-time, but their partial salaries will come out of her pocket, not out of B&B revenues.

Morelia-based Cinépolis is the largest movie theater chain in Mexico. All Cinépolis theaters in Mexico, as well as all of Mexico's other movie theaters, are closed by government mandate until May 6.

In the State of Jalisco, cruise ships have canceled several arrivals in
Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara has canceled all Masses for this Sunday.
Restaurants are closed, tourist landmarks are closed, cultural events are
canceled. Businesses are losing hundreds of thousands of pesos every day of
this ongoing health crisis.

Everywhere in Mexico, all schools at all levels have been closed since Tuesday, April 28. The sign on this Morelia school gate reads, "Classes are suspended until May 6." Daycare centers are also closed.

In Morelia, where I live and where no cases of influenza porcina have been
reported (not that none exist; none have been reported), the streets are
silent. Where impossible daily traffic normally exists, few cars travel.
Schools are shuttered here, along with those in the entire country, until at
least May 6. Restaurants are closed; not all, but quite a few. Local tourist
destinations are closed. No Mass will be celebrated at local churches this
Sunday–people are invited to hear Mass via television or radio.

Normally illuminated by fireworks on Saturday nights and thronged with
believers for all Sunday Masses, Morelia's Cathedral will be shuttered
this Sunday (May 3). Mass will be celebrated a puerta cerrada (behind closed doors) and broadcast via television and radio. The stupendous photo is courtesy of my friend, Steven Miller. For a joyous look at his travels, see his photos on Flickr.

It seems to me that Mexican officials are reacting to the flu situation with
considerable calm and with well-reasoned actions–given the information that is
actually being disseminated to the public. Many informed sources (principally
physicians) are saying that the information in the media is deliberately cloudy
and inaccurate. They say that the death toll is actually enormously higher than
that which is in the news. Mexico Cooks! thinks that it is highly unlikely that
the government reaction (government and private business closures, prohibition
of large cultural and sports gatherings, suspension of Mass all over the
country) is an over-reaction. The societal and economic toll is too high to
take these measures were there no actual cause for doing so.

"By official disposition of the Secretary of Health, all work has been suspended, to begin again on May 6." This sign, tacked up on the door of the Conservatorio de las Rosas in Morelia, is repeated on business after business and school after school.

This is a holiday weekend in Mexico: Thursday was el Día del Niño,
Children's Day, a day of great festivity here. All concerts, festivals, and
other celebrations of the date were canceled. May 1 was el
Día del Trabajo, Labor Day, which is much more than the USA-style last-day-of-summer holiday here. ALL public demonstrations were canceled: none of the usual parades, speeches, and congregating of masses of people took place.

The butcher at Superama in Morelia said that although sales of pork meat have dropped a bit, he's glad it's selling at all. Many people erroneously think that la influenza porcina can be contracted through eating pork. It isn't true.

Wednesday night (April 29), Pres. Calderón spoke to the nation via television. He informed us
that all non-essential government business is canceled until May 6, that all
bars, nightclubs, spas, restaurants, etc, are ordered to close–it was in
essence a recap of all that has been closed or canceled up until now, with some
important additions. The nation is encouraged wherever possible to stay at home
for the next week. In his 10-minute or so speech, Calderón encouraged people to
be stoic until there is resolution to the flu situation. He assured the country
that Mexico has plenty of doctors and nurses, the most sophisticated testing
possible for this flu, and enough antiviral medicine to meet the heaviest need.
He reiterated the symptoms of the flu and the instructions for coughing into
the elbow, not greeting friends with a kiss, etc. At the end of the talk, said,
"Enjoy the company of your families, in your homes. Your home is the
safest place to be during this health situation." He actually sounded like
a primary school teacher–calm, cool, and matter-of-fact.

Economic recovery
will be slow for many and impossible for many. Small businesses, tour
companies, hotels, restaurants may well not recover, even after the flu is long
gone.

So: the bottom line is, no one knows the truth. Today I choose to believe that Mexico is correct to follow the World Health Organization's rules,
but being the skeptic and cynic that I am, there is a big niggle of doubt that
moves from the back of my mind to the front of my mind and again to the back of
my mind. As I always say, more will be revealed to you and to us…and
I pray that WHO is wrong.

Mexico's sense of black humor will prevail. This just in:

This week–and this week only–Mexico Cooks! leaves its normal tour advertisement for another day.

2 de May de 2009
Mexico Cooks! meets Mexico Bob in Irapuato, Guanajuato

The original design for the Faros packet–the cigarro popular (people's cigarette) of Mexico.

Mexico Cooks! has often pondered the 21st Century way we meet one another: via social networking websites like Facebook or MySpace, via common-interest web boards, and via personal matchmaking sites. The current phenomenon of being the friend of a person halfway across the world, a person one will perhaps never meet face-to-face, is the electronic version of my sixth grade pen-pal: a boy I never met, but whose life was loosely entwined with mine for more than 30 years. Jean-Pierre, are you reading this?

Mexico Bob Mrotek is a big man with a big heart. He's slightly larger than life and is filled to the brim with the joys of living in Mexico.

Bob writes a marvelous blog about–well, as Bob says, "It's a little like the old TV show Seinfeld. It's a blog about nothing." That's his take on it, but Mexico Cooks! thinks that Bob's blog is about the really good stuff: the inconsequential trivia of life in Mexico that adds the chile, sal y limón (chile, salt, and lime) to daily fare, that adds cultural literacy to your more general knowledge of Mexico. Want to know the origin of the ultra-Mexican expression 'chupar faros'? Bob wrote a great column about that, just a year ago. Want to know how to use certain Mexican modismos (colloquialisms) in your daily conversation? Bob has written at least twenty bilingual dialogues to help you.

Mexico Bob is a also big booster of Irapuato, the town in the Mexican state of Guanajuato where he lives. Irapuato is known as La Capital Mundial de la Fresa–the World Capital of the Strawberry. Along the roadsides around Irapuato, strawberries are sold in woven wicker baskets, like the basket in the photo.

You'll also see stands selling locally-grown strawberries frozen with fresh cream.

Mexico Bob and his delightful wife Gina (upper right corner), Mexico Cooks! and Judy (lower left corner), superimposed on the map of Irapuato.

After knowing one another in the blogosphere for a year or so, Bob, his wife Gina and I met for lunch in Morelia last January. We made a plan to meet again in Irapuato so Bob and Gina could show Judy and me the town.

Quite the student of history and architecture, Bob took us on a walking tour of downtown Irapuato. He showed us his favorite pastry-supply store, the Cathedral and the main plaza, and several churches.

This Irapuato pastry-making supply store carries everything from powdered gelatin to birthday candles.

The dome of Irapuato's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, with jacaranda trees in bloom.

The main plaza has a beautiful dancing-waters fountain.

We snacked on these delicious gorditas de trigo (little fat wheatcakes), similar to the gorditas de nata (little fat creamcakes) sold all over Mexico. These gorditas have the strong, sweet flavor of cinnamon. The comal (griddle) is made of clay; the fire under the comal is carbón (rustic charcoal).

Construction for Templo San José (Church of St. Joseph) began around 1570. The small church was built for the use of the Otomíes, one of the local indigenous groups. The facade was constructed between 1770 and 1780. The style of the columns is estípite, from the Latin word meaning 'trunk of a tree'. Michelangelo was the first to use this style pilaster, in 1526. Typically, estípite columns are covered with intricately detailed decoration.

Our last stop in Irapuato was for lunch at El Rincón de la Arrachera, Av. Comisión Federal de la Electricidad #2581. A family operation, the restaurant serves buffet-style skirt steak, chorizo para asar (spicy sausage for grilling), caramelized onions, chiles güeros y verdes toreados (grilled yellow and green chiles), several house-made salsas, and queso fundido (melted cheese). Along with that, each table receives fresh, hot-off-the-griddle handmade tortillas, mixed salad, a choice of several drinks, and choice of dessert. The meal is all-you-can-eat, and we all ate till we simply could not hold another bite. Everything was delicious. I'd tell you the price, but Bob and Gina refused to let us see the check. The owner, Miguel Angel Conejo Carcía, cordially invites all of Mexico Cooks!' readers to come enjoy his hospitality. Mexico Cooks! seconds the motion–the restaurant is absolutely terrific!

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.

25 de April de 2009
Museo Regional de Arte Popular (Regional Folk Art Museum) in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán

El Museo Regional de Arte Popular (Regional Folk Art Museum), located at the corner of Calle Enseñanza and Calle Alcantarilla in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán. This small museum, the original site of the oldest college in the state of Michoacán, now holds arts and crafts treasures of the regional indigenous Purhépecha people. Exquisite examples of copper, silver, clay, wood, straw, and textile work from the 16th Century to the present allow visitors to compare old and new techniques.

Mexico Cooks! has visited Pátzcuaro's Museo Regional de Arte Popular (Regional Folk Art Museum) so frequently over the course of the last 30 years that we all but have the exhibits memorized. Some of the items are such favorites that at times, they populate our dreams. This marvelously carved wooden dance mask, with its long beard and exceptionally large nose, makes us laugh every time we see it. Notice the cut-out slits between the mask's eyes and the eyebrows. They allowed the wearer to see where he was going while he danced.

This 17th Century Christ is made of pasta de caña de maíz.

Sometimes erroneously called 'corn dough', the core of the entire Christ figure pictured above is made of a finely kneaded paste created from the ground-up inner parts of cornstalks and a liquid exuded from deltatzingeni (the bulbs of regional orchids). Early artisans created an armature, a 'skeleton' of dried corn leaves and incidental small pieces of wood. Tiny parts (such as fingers) of some figures were sometimes formed using turkey feathers as the armature. Artists then sculpted a figure with pasta de caña. The artisans incorporated insecticides into the corn/orchid paste, which has protected these sculptures over the course of several centuries. The Museo Regional in Pátzcuaro has a number of pasta de caña figures dating to the 16th and 17th Centuries.

Mexico Cooks! is particularly fond of the museum's display of an early Michoacán kitchen.

In the photo above, you can see many components of a traditional Michoacán cocina (kitchen). The wood-burning cookstove, at lower left, is made of clay-covered adobe. Long rectangular holes for firewood are under recessed round openings for balancing round-bottomed clay cooking pots. Ocote (sticks of fat pine kindling, stored in a metal holder built into the stove, near-middle left) quickly lights the fire. Ollas de barro (clay pots) stack for storing kitchen staples–no lids required. To the right of the stacked ollas, copper vessels line a wooden shelf. Other ollas are ranged around the lower kitchen shelf. At middle left, above the ollas, two carved wood cuchareros (spoon holders) are both decorative and utilitarian. Above the cuchareros, another wooden shelf holds pottery cups and small dishes and pitchers. Above that shelf, the intricate wall art, made of individual tiny clay cups, is typical of nearly every region of Mexico. Whether a simple or complex design, in Mexico's traditional kitchens, it's always made of cups.

A carved wood cupboard, built into the museum wall, holds copper mugs, pitchers, bowls and platters made in Sta. Clara del Cobre, Michoacán. The graduated-size copper utensils hung on either side of the cupboard are measures for dry and liquid ingredients.

A charola de maque (inlaid lacquer tray) from the 19th Century.

This large carved figure of Saint Ann holding the child Virgin Maria is made of one piece of wood–except for one detail. When you visit the museum on your Mexico Cooks! tour of Pátzcuaro, look closely for the fine line near the ears of both heads. The faces were carved separately to allow for the placement of the figures' glass eyes.

Mexico Cooks! covets this hand-embroidered tablecloth. Every part of the cloth is sewn with a Mexican dicho de la cocina (kitchen sayings). We've often told the museum docents
that if the tablecloth disappears, it will be at our house. For more dichos de la cocina, see Panza Llena, Corazón Contento.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.

18 de April de 2009
Templo de Santiago Apóstol: Tupátaro and the Painted Churches of Michoacán

The simple whitewashed facade of Tupátaro's templo (church) of Santiago Apóstol (St. James the Apostle) belies the intense beauty inside. Note the pale-purple orchids blooming in the tree at the left.

The evangelization of Michoacán's Purhépecha tablelands, where many of the state's largest group of indigenous people live, was realized during the 16th and 17th centuries. Religious and secular orders who came to New Spain during the earliest part of the Spanish Conquest worked ceaselessly to convert the native peoples to Christianity. In the 16th Century, Franciscan and Augustinian priests worked together with the first bishop of Michoacán, Don Vasco de Quiroga, creating 'hospital-towns' all along a route through the mountains and valleys of Michoacán. Today, that route is still known as 'La Ruta de Don Vasco'

Bishop Vasco de Quiroga, an intellectual student of Thomas Moore's Utopia, saw in the area that is now the state of Michoacán an ideal place to put Moore's social theories to work. In Michoacán, Quiroga found a thriving crafts-driven economy, a well-developed and organized community, and the opportunity to lead the indigenous to higher and higher goals of barter and commerce. Although Vasco de Quiroga had already founded a similar 'hospital' in Mexico City, he invested his entire life in perfecting the idea throughout Michoacán's Meseta Purhépecha.

The retablo (altarpiece) in Santiago Apóstol is made of carved wood covered with 23.5 karat gold leaf. The six paintings in the retablo, painted by a single artist in the 17th Century, are oil on canvas.

Michoacán's pueblos hospitalarios ('hospital-towns') were evangelized in a manner unlike that in other regions of New Spain. The term 'hospital-towns' refers to the founding of towns specifically for the purpose of offering hospitality to the stranger and religious education as much as physical care for the sick. Each of the several pueblos hospitalarios was built along similar lines: they included a convent, a church dedicated to a particular patron saint, a smaller chapel dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, and a huatápera (meeting place), which was the actual hospital and travelers' hostel. The huatápera was the heart of the complex and the church was its soul.

Religious architecture in the Purhépecha towns was characterized by the use of adobe brick and mortar walls and carved volcanic stone entryways. The roofs were originally made of tejamanil (thin pine strips) which were later covered with clay tiles. The jewel of the interior of the simple churches was the high ceilings. Either curved or trapezoidal, the entire wooden ceiling was profusely hand-painted by indigenous artists with images of the litanies of Mary and/or Jesus, with angels, archangels, and apostols. They are filled with symbols of medieval European Christianity adapted to the perspective of the native Purhépechas. Serving as decoration, devotion, and education in the faith, these churches and their ceilings, along with their finely detailed carved retablos (altarpieces), are some of the greatest artistic treasures of the region. Today, they are still an important part of the Route of Don Vasco.

El Señor del Pino (The Lord of the Pine), 18th Century crucifix venerated on the altar in Tupátaro.

For years, Mexico Cooks! has been fascinated with the Templo de Santiago Apóstol (Church of St. James the Apostle) in Tupátaro, Michoacán. The tiny church was founded by Spanish Augustinian missionary priests who arrived either with or soon after Don Vasco de Quiroga. Under the careful conservatorship of Mexico's INAH (Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia), Santiago Apóstol is one of the small 16th Century churches in Michoacán that has been restored to its original glory. Frequently called the Sistine Chapel of the Americas, Santiago Apóstol of Tupátaro is one of the most important early churches of Mexico. INAH recently honored Mexico Cooks! with permission to photograph and write about this national treasure.

The highly revered statue of Santiago Apóstol (St. James the Apostle) stands at the left side of the church altar. Built on a platform made to be carried on townspeople's shoulders, the statue processes solemnly through Tupátaro every year on the saint's feast day.

The 500-year-old wood-plank floors, built over crypts, creaked as we entered the church and walked toward the altar.

Rays of sun semi-illuminate the six oil paintings of the retablo (altarpiece): the crowning with thorns, the flagellation, the way to Gethsemane, the prayer in the garden, the adoracion of the Magi, and, high above the rest, Saint James the Apostle on his horse. The angels on either side of Santiago Apóstol have mestizo (mixed race) faces; all six paintings were created by the same hand. The sense of antiquity and reverence are palpable in this early New World church.

Detail of alterpiece sections Santiago Apóstol (St. James the Apostle) and La Adoración (Adoration of the Magi).

The classic baroque carved wood columns of the retablo, covered with 23.5 carat gold leaf, are adorned with bunches of grapes, mazorcas (ears of corn), granadas (pomegranates), and the whole avocados which represent this region of Mexico. In addition, sculptures of four pelicans decorate the altar. The pelican, with its young pecking at its breast until blood flows from its flesh, is an early Christian symbol of Christ who nurtures his church with his blood.

Detail of the life-size pasta de caña crucifix, Templo Santiago Apóstol, Tupátaro. Pasta de caña, unique to the central highlands of Mexico, is made from corn stalk pulp mixed with paste from orchid bulbs. Shaped around a wooden or bamboo armature, the paste is allowed to harden. It's then carved, covered with gesso, and polychromed.

On the right of the altar stand carvings of the four evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. On the left are four Doctors of the Church: St. Gregory, St. Augustine, St. Jerome, and St. Ambrose.

The wooden bóveda (arched) ceiling, entirely hand-painted by indigenous serfs in the 18th Century, is the most spectacular feature of the church. The paintings include the Passion of Christ, twelve mysteries (stories to meditate) of the lives of the Virgin Mary and Jesus, 33 archangels holding Christian symbols (one archangel for each year Christ lived on Earth), and other religious and secular symbols.

This archangel carries the three nails used to hang Christ on the cross.

Each of the archangels wears distinct clothing, has a unique face, and different wings. Each stands on clouds. In the photographs, you can see that the lower sections of each panel are flat against the wall; the next two or three panels form the beginning of the boveda, and the higher panels curve against the ceiling. Each individual archangel panel measures three to four meters high; together they span both sides of the length of the church, from entrance to altar.

This archangel carries a Christian flag.

This archangel carries a sponge on a pole and a vessel filled with vinegar. When Christ said, "I thirst,", as he hung on the cross, he was given vinegar to drink.

La Anunciación (The Annunciation), one of the mysteries of the life of the Virgin Mary. The angel is telling her that she will be the mother of God.

La Ultima Cena (The Last Supper), a mystery of the life of Christ. The food on the table is food found in this region of Mexico.

La Resurrección (the Resurrection).

The panels showing the mysteries of the life of Christ begin at the front of the church and move toward the altar; the panels showing the mysteries of the life of the Virgin Mary begin at the altar and move toward the front of the church. Watermelons painted on the beams between the panels represent the blood of Christ.

This panel is positioned directly over the altar. In the center is a dove, the symbol of the Holy Spirit.

The ceiling panels and other paintings were painted directly on wood, using tempera paint made with egg yolks. Vegetable and earthen dyes color the 18th Century paints, which have held up very well for nearly three hundred years.

The front panel of the altar, unique in the world, is made of pasta de caña, linen, cotton, and silver leaf. The dedication inside the oval reads, "Se hizo este frontal par al el Santísimo Cristo del Pueblo de Tupátaro a espensas de sus devotos y dando sus limosnas siendo Eusebio Avila año 1765." ("This altar front was made for the Most Holy Christ of the people of Tupátaro at the cost of his devoted followers and giving alms, being Eusebio Avila year 1765.") The panel was recently restored by Pedro Dávalos Cotonieto, a local sculptor who specializes in pasta de caña.

The tiny church has an exquisitely beautiful museum. Juan Cabrera Santana, the church caretaker and our exceptionally knowledgeable guide, showed us its treasures.

Sixteenth century saint, Museo Santiago Apóstol.

La Santísima (The Holy Virgin Mary), fresco, Museo Santiago Apóstol.

Tupátaro, Michoacán town plaza.

Mexico Cooks! is grateful to INAH (the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia) and to Juan Cabrera Santana for their kind permission and guidance in bringing the Tupátaro Templo de Santiago Apóstol to our readers.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.

11 de April de 2009
Chocolate:: El Gozo de Un Manjar de Dios: Savoring the Ambrosia of the Gods

The tiny storefront with the hand-lettered sign Joaquinita Chocolate Supremo is at Calle Enseñanza #38 in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán.

In Pátzcuaro, the tradition of chocolate de metate (stone-ground chocolate) is still alive, personified by Sra. María Guadalupe García López. Doña Lupe, as she is called by everyone who knows her, continues the work started in Pátzcuaro in 1898. The family recipe for chocolate de metate was left to her as a legacy by her mother-in-law. Rightly proud of her hand-ground chocolate, Doña Lupe said, "I'm convinced that by now, just about everyone in the whole world knows about chocolate de metate, and everyone who tastes it falls in love with it."

Costales (huge burlap bags) of raw cocoa beans from the state of Tabasco. Doña Lupe stores the costales in a cool spot in her sótano (basement).

In Pátzcuaro, there are several home-based businesses which make chocolate that claims to be made on the metate, but its preparation and commercialization are not authentic. Doña Lupe says that Joaquinita Chocolate has no locations other than
her home. "Some of the chocolate makers here in town claim to be my
children or my grandchildren, but they're not. They're not part of
Joaquinita Chocolate." Joaquinita Chocolate is not only the best known, but is also completely authentic in its preparation.

From the sidewalk, the house is unprepossessing. It looks like most houses in the central part of Pátzcuaro: painted white, with a deep, ochre-red base. But come closer, step up to the door: you'll be stopped in your tracks by the rich fragrance of home made chocolate. Breathe. Walk in. You'll never learn the jealously guarded secret of Doña Lupe's recipe, but you'll taste one of the legendary treats of Mexico's past and present.

Lovely Doña Lupe is ready to drop a tablet of her chocolate semiamargo (semisweet) into a pitcher of near-boiling water, just as in the story, "Like Water for Chocolate". The molinillo (hand-carved wooden chocolate whip) beats the melted chocolate into a thick froth and it's ready to serve.

Chocolate was unknown to Spain and to the rest of Europe in 1519, when Cortés arrived on the shores of the New World. Moctezuma and the highly-placed leaders in his court knew its subtleties; Cortés was soon initiated into its delights. Mixed with vanilla and other spices including chile, xocolatl (shoh-coh-LAH-tl) needed to be mixed with water and beaten to a heavy froth before being consumed unsweetened. Europeans quickly discovered that a bit of sugar took away the bitterness and enhanced the flavors of the new drink. Before long, chocolate was the rage of Europe as well as a near-addiction for Europeans in the New World.

The process of making chocolate estilo Doña Lupe (Doña Lupe-style chocolate) starts with the finest beans from the state of Tabasco, in southern Mexico. Doña Lupe says that the seed (what we usually call the cocoa bean) has to be the best, or else the chocolate loses its texture and its flavor. She won't use a lesser bean.

Toasting cocoa beans over a wood fire requires constant stirring. The fogón is shaped like a horseshoe to accommodate the cazuela.

While the carbón (natural wood charcoal) heated on the fogón (raised fire ring), Doña Lupe talked about making chocolate de metate. "First we take as many beans from the costal (large bag) as we need for the day. Normally, I make 20 to 30 kilos of chocolate tablets every day.

"Next I clean the beans, taking out any small stones, any leaves–anything that would adulterate the chocolate" Doña Lupe dipped into the huge bag of cocoa beans and put them by handfuls into an harnero (strainer), sifting through them as she poured them through her fingers, shaking the strainer to get rid of any tiny impurities. She put the cleaned cocoa beans into a cazuela de barro (deep clay cooking vessel).

The large aluminum pot in the foreground holds ground cocoa beans that shortly will become a smooth, rich masa de cacao (sweetened chocolate for tablets).

Doña Lupe's chocolate kitchen, in the lower level of her home, is furnished with traditional petate (woven reed) mats for warmth, while the room where the costales of cacao beans are stored is kept cool to preserve the beans.

Doña Lupe grinds cocoa beans the old-fashioned way, using a metate and mano. A small fire (under the metate) keeps the metate and the cocoa beans hot during the grinding process.

The chocolate, ground smooth, rests in a wooden batea (shallow oval bowl).

Doña Lupe uses a metal mold to form the sweetened soft chocolate into individual tablets. The top of the tablet of sweetened soft chocolate is scored into four quarters with the metal round to the left in the photograph.

The tablets air-dry in the warmth of the chocolate kitchen. The tablets that are scored in half are chocolate amargo: unsweetened chocolate. Both chocolate semiamargo (semisweet chocolate for making hot chocolate) and chocolate amargo sell well.

When the chocolate is completely dry, Doña Lupe packages it in pink paper. A packet of sweet chocolate contains nine tablets. A packet of chocolate amargo contains seven.

She glues the label to the package and the chocolate is ready to sell.

This hand-embroidered tablecloth in Doña Lupe's dining room depicts cups and pots of hot chocolate, as well as the saying, "Chocolate Joaquinita, Industria Casera Desde 1898" (Cottage Industry since 1898).

Mexico Cooks! would love to know the proportions of chocolate, sugar, and cinnamon that Doña Lupe uses to make her chocolate tablets, but then she wouldn't have a secret recipe. We contented ourselves with buying a package of chocolate amargo (for baking) and a package of sweetened chocolate (for preparing hot chocolate). When you're in Pátzcuaro, be sure to stop in at Joaquinita Chocolate Supremo for your own supply of traditional chocolate.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.

4 de April de 2009
Panza Llena, Corazón Contento (Full Stomach, Happy Heart)
Frijoles boil in a clay pot on the fogón (on-the-ground cooking fire). The fire ring is the wheel rim of a truck, the wood is what was available. The clay pot ensures old-fashioned flavor and Mexico Cooks!' interest in the cooking process ensured old-fashioned hospitality. "Come back at 1:30," the cook told us. "The beans will be ready and I'll make some tortillas."

Twenty or more years ago, Mexico Cooks! ate a once-in-a-lifetime meal in Mexico. Simplicity itself, the comida (midday meal) consisted of steamed white rice piled with home-grown sliced bananas, homemade fresh cheese, frijoles de la olla (beans in their pot liquor, freshly cooked as in the photo above), and hand-patted tortillas, hot from the comal (griddle). That meal, served in an outdoor kitchen, was our introduction to Mexican tradition, authenticity, and hospitality, all on a level we had never known before.

Food, shared with friends and acquaintances, brings us together in elemental hospitality. Food and the sharing of it in Mexico have, since earliest times, given rise to wonderful dichos (sayings) from the kitchen.

This hand-embroidered tablecloth is on display at Pátzcuaro's Museo Regional del Arte Popular (Regional Folk Arts Museum). Every saying sewn into the cloth is a dicho de la cocina. Mexico Cooks! will publish an article about this beautiful museum on April 18, 2009.

Quoting a dicho de la cocina always brings a smile. Here are a few favorites:
- Mujer que guisa, se casa a prisa. (The woman who cooks is soon married.)
- A comer y a misa, a la primer llamada. (To eat and to Mass, go at the first call.)
- Mejor llegar a tiempo que ser invitado. (It's better to arrive on time than to be invited.)
Rich or poor, people always invite others to share their table. It's seriously offensive to refuse an offered meal.
- Al que nace para tamal, del cielo le caen las hojas. If you're born to be a tamal, your corn husks will fall from heaven.
- Come a gusto y placentero y que ayune tu heredero. Eat what you like and at your pleasure–let your descendants fast!
- Cuando el ratón está lleno, hasta la harina le sabe amarga. When the mouse is full, even flour tastes bitter to him.
Red pozole, made with pork, chiles, and nixtamal (processed dried corn), is one of Mexico's most comforting meals. For a wonderfully rich recipe, try this one from our friend Rolly's favorite cook, Doña Martha.
- Desayunar como rey, comer como príncipe y cenar como mendigo. Eat breakfast like a king, eat at midday like a prince, and have supper like a beggar.
- El hambre es la buena, no la comida. Hunger is the good thing, not the food.
- El que parte y comparte, se queda con la mejor parte. The one who cuts and serves the food gets the best part.
Uchepos de leche are a regional Michoacán specialty served for breakfast or supper.
- Fuchi… ¡quiero más! It's AWFUL…give me some more!
- Gástalo en la cocina y no en medicina. Spend it in the kitchen, not on medicine.
- Invierno buen tiempo para el herrero, el panadero y el chocolatero. Winter's a good time for the ironworker, the baker, and the chocolate maker.
Mexican sopa de pan–bread soup–is hearty with shredded chicken, sliced boiled eggs, olives, raisins, capers and roasted tomatoes.
- La comida entra por los ojos. Food comes in through the eyes.
- La paciencia es amarga, pero sus frutos son dulces. Patience is bitter, but its fruits are sweet.
- La venganza es dulce al paladar, pero amarga para la garganta. Vengance is sweet in the mouth, but bitter in the throat.
An outdoor kitchen is still common in rural areas of Mexico. This one is lovely, dressed in soft blue paint and flowers.

Later this year we'll have a look at more dichos de la cocina–kitchen sayings–and kitchen-related photos from Mexico Cooks!.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.
28 de March de 2009
Rabbit Cook-A-Thon in San Miguel de Allende
Antique wooden crosses grace the light-filled comedor (dining room) at Rancho Casa Luna, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico.

Three ranch-raised rabbits, ready to prepare in the professional kitchens at Rancho Casa Luna.

A few months ago, Mexico Cooks! 'met' (in that 21st Century virtual way, via a social networking website) Dianne Kushner, owner of the fabulous Casa Luna bed and breakfast hotels and newly opened Rancho Casa Luna (for weddings, private parties, and cooking classes) in San Miguel de Allende. As it turned out, Dianne and I had a number of real-life friends in common. Dianne invited Mexico Cooks! to Rancho Casa Luna to cook with some old friends as well as with some new friends.

Three teams of professional chefs and their assistants made the menu plans: rabbit, grown at Rancho Casa Luna and cooked in a variety of ways. We chose a Mexican recipe, a French recipe, and a Spanish recipe and were happily surprised by a fourth recipe for a Moroccan tagine.

Billie Mercer, Judy McKnight, and Dianne Kushner worked as chef's assistants. They're wearing their team aprons, embroidered with flags of Mexico, France, and Spain. Each of the teams decided to cook in an unfamiliar cuisine, just for the exercise. Mexico Cooks! was eager (and a little nervous) to be in charge of a French recipe.

It was hard to drag ourselves away from relaxing on the terrace at Dianne's heaven-on-earth.

Rancho Casa Luna is perfectly designed for lounging on the terrace, watching the earth spin slowly from daybreak to its last purple light. Nevertheless, Ruth Alegría, Ben, and Billie (the Mexican team); Henri, Jessica, and Dianne (the Spanish team), and Judy and I (the French contingent) gathered at eleven o'clock Friday morning to start hopping (you should forgive the expression). We had nine ranch-raised rabbits, what looked like a ton of fresh vegetables, and every pot, pan, spoon, and knife you can imagine.

A few of the ingredients for the Spanish rabbit preparation. The photo shows about a quarter of the enormous bunch of gorgeous fresh rosemary that Henri and Jessica cut to bring for their dish.

Our teams of chefs and assistants prepared other dishes to accompany the rabbits. By team:
- Mexico: cold crema de chile poblano (creamed chile poblano soup) with minced apple, the Moroccan rabbit tagine, fresh mango pie. Team Mexico prepared Conejo en Chile (Rabbit in Chile)from Diana Kennedy's Mexican Regional Cooking, pp. 74-75.
- Spain: parsleyed new potatoes, braised acelgas (Swiss chard), salad of grated carrot, cilantro, and jugo de limón
- France: fresh green beans with diced fresh red pepper, mixed-greens salad with caramelized walnuts and balsamic vinaigrette.
Jessica and Henri Moyal of San Miguel de Allende (with Dianne as their assistant on Team Spain) sliced and diced, chopped and peeled–and peered intently at the recipe for their rabbit.

Team Spain's rabbit, browning perfectly, had marinated overnight in balsamic vinegar.

Ben Wenske formerly owned the Tuba Garden restaurant in San Francisco, California. He was one-third of Team Mexico for the rabbit marathon. Judy of Team France is stealing secrets as Ben hands a recipe to one of the other teams.

Lapin aux Pruneaux, French rabbit with prunes, is ready for the oven.

Moroccan rabbit tagine, ready to bake.

Rabbit Tagine
(courtesy Ziryab Mediterranean Grill, San Francisco, CA)

Ingredients
16 garlic cloves, peeled
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 cups chopped onions
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons paprika
4 teaspoons grated lemon peel
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
1 rabbit, approximately 1.5 kilos, cut in 8 pieces
3/4 cup olives, black or green
1 1/2 lemons, sliced thin

Procedure
In a food processor, finely chop garlic, cilantro, and parsley. Transfer to a bowl. Add onions and the next nine ingredients; mix well. Add rabbit pieces, olives, and lemons; toss. Cover and chill for at least two hours and up to one day.

Pre-heat oven to 450°F. Put rabbit and seasonings in a large ovenproof pot. Add 1.5 cups water. Cover and bake until rabbit is cooked through, approximately one hour. Serve from baking dish or transfer to a warm platter.

Billie surveys the peaceful dining room at Rancho Casa Luna, waiting for the arrival of massive amounts of food and happy cooks.

At last! The nine of us sat down for comida (main meal of the day) at about four in the afternoon. That's Dianne Kushner, with her back to us; to her left is Henri Moyal, then Judy McKnight, then the top of Ben Wenske's head, Jessica Moyal, Ruth Alegría, and Ned and Billie Mercer. Mexico Cooks! took the photo. Our meal started with Ruth's chilled crema de chile poblano.

One dinner plate, completely loaded! We had almost enough food. If the truth be known, we could easily have fed 20 or more guests, in addition to our teams of cooks and assistants.

The rabbit cook-a-thon was an amazing combination of old friends, new friends, work, and fun. Thanks to our generous and welcoming host Dianne Kushner at Rancho Casa Luna, to the openness, warmth, and spirit of sharing in the kitchens, to laughter and good people and best of all, to great eating.

We're planning to produce more events–teaching, cooking, eating–and Mexico Cooks! would love for all of you to participate. Let us know when you'd like to come to our newest outpost in San Miguel de Allende and we'll let YOU know all the details.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.
21 de March de 2009
Comida Mexicana para La Cuaresma: Special Mexican Food for Lent

Tortitas de papa (potato croquettes, left) and frijoles negros (black beans, right) from the south of Mexico are ideal for a Lenten meal.

Catholic Mexicans observe la Cuaresma (Lent), the 40-day (excluding Sundays) penitential season that precedes Easter, with special prayers, vigils, and with extraordinary meatless meals cooked only on Ash Wednesday and during Lent. Many Mexican dishes–seafood, vegetable, and egg–are normally prepared without meat, but some other meatless dishes are particular to Lent. Known as comida cuaresmeña, many of these delicious Lenten foods are little-known outside Mexico and some other parts of Latin America.

Many observant Catholics believe that the personal reflection and meditation demanded by Lenten practices are more fruitful if the individual refrains from heavy food indulgence and makes a promise to abstain from other common habits such as eating candy, smoking cigarettes, and drinking alcohol.

Atole de grano, a Michoacán specialty made of tender corn and licorice-scented anís, is a perfect cena (supper) for Lenten Fridays.

Lent began this year on Ash Wednesday, February 25. Shortly before, certain food specialties began to appear in local markets. Vendors are currently offering very large dried shrimp for caldos (broths) and tortitas (croquettes), perfect heads of cauliflower for tortitas de coliflor (cauliflower croquettes), seasonal romeritos, and thick, dried slices of bolillo (small loaves of white bread) for capirotada (a kind of bread pudding).

This common Lenten preparation is romeritos en mole. Romeritos, an acidic green vegetable, is in season at this time of year. Although it looks a little like rosemary, its taste is relatively sour, more like verdolagas (purslane).

You'll usually see tortitas de camarón (dried shrimp croquettes) paired for a Friday comida (midday meal) with romeritos en mole, although they are sometimes bathed in a caldillo de jitomate (tomato broth) and served with sliced nopalitos (cactus paddles).

During Lent, the price of fish and seafood in Mexico goes through the roof due to the huge seasonal demand for meatless meals. These beautiful huachinango (red snapper) come from Mexico's Pacific coast.

Chef Martín Rafael Mendizabal of La Trucha Alegre in Zitacuaro, Michoacán, prepared trucha deshuesada con agridulce de guayaba (boned trout with guava sweet and sour sauce) for the V Encuentro de Cocina Tradicional de Michoacán held in Morelia in December 2008. The dish would be ideal for an elegant Lenten dinner.

Capirotada (Lenten bread pudding) is almost unknown outside Mexico. Simple to prepare and absolutely delicious, it's hard to eat it sparingly if you're trying to keep a Lenten abstinence!

Every family makes a slightly different version of capirotada: a pinch more of this, leave out that, add such-and-such. Mexico Cooks! prefers to leave out the apricots and add dried pineapple. Make it once and then tweak the recipe to your preference–but please do stick with traditional ingredients.

CAPIROTADA

Ingredients
*4 bollilos, in 1" slices (small loaves of dense white bread)
5 stale tortillas
150 grams pecans
50 grams prunes
100 grams raisins
200 grams peanuts
100 grams dried apricots
1 large apple, peeled and sliced thin
100 grams grated Cotija cheese
Peel of one orange, two uses
*3 cones piloncillo (Mexican brown sugar)
Four 3" pieces of Mexican stick cinnamon
2 cloves
Butter
Salt

*If you don't have bolillo, substitute slices of very dense French bread. If you don't have piloncillo, substitute 1/2 cup tightly packed brown sugar.

A large metal or clay baking dish.

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

Toast the bread and spread with butter. Slightly overlap the tortillas in the bottom and along the sides of the baking dish to make a base for the capirotada. Prepare a thin syrup by boiling the piloncillo in 2 1/2 cups of water with a few shreds of cinnamon sticks, 2/3 of the orange peel, the cloves, and a pinch of salt.

Place the layers of bread rounds in the
baking dish so as to allow for their expansion as the capirotada cooks. Lay down a layer of bread, then a layer of nuts, prunes, raisins, peanuts and apricots. Continue until all the bread is layered with the rest. For the final layer, sprinkle the capirotada with the grated Cotija cheese and the remaining third of the orange peel (grated). Add the syrup, moistening all the layers little by little. Reserve a portion of the syrup to add to the capirotada in case it becomes dry during baking.

Bake uncovered until the capirotada is golden brown and the syrup is absorbed. The bread will expand as it absorbs the syrup. Remember to add the rest of the syrup if the top of the capirotada looks dry.

Cool the capirotada at room temperature. Do not cover until it is cool; even then, leave the top ajar.

Try very hard not to eat the entire pan of capirotada at one sitting!

A positive thought for the remainder of Lent: give up discouragement, be an optimist.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.

14 de March de 2009
Torito de Petate, February 2009: Carnaval en Morelia!

Morelia's 2009 Festival del Torito de Petate starred "El Michoacano" featuring Fuente Las Tarascas (the Tarascan fountain).

Morelia's annual Festival del Torito de Petate (literally, festival of the little bull made of woven reeds) ushers in Carnaval here in the city. These little bulls are hardly little, and are hardly made of woven reeds. Some measure as high as five meters (more than 15 feet) and weigh in at more than 110 kilos (nearly 250 pounds). Built today by group members from Morelia's working-class neighborhoods, the danza del torito de petate stems from dances that date back as far as 1586, shortly after the Spanish conquest of the New World.

The towering Torito Azteca incorporates inventive components of pre-hispanic design. You can see the little bull's red eyes, white nostrils and red tongue near the bottom center of the photograph.

This intricate guacamaya (macaw) measures at least five meters tall. A strong young man carries the heavy torito on his shoulders and performs a several-minute-long dance. Cheering crowds and a tumultuous local band urge him and his costumed companions to ever faster spins.

Children absolutely love the Festival del Torito de Petate. The little boy on the left is wearing a horse costume held up by suspenders. He's whipping his steed in more and more frenzied circles. The taller boy in the center has a bull costume mounted on his shoulders; Mexico Cooks! could only capture the bull's umm…tail…as the boy whirled to the music.

Sixty neighborhoods participated in the 2009 edition of Morelia's Festival del Torito de Petate. Mexico Cooks! watched the line of elaborately colorful creatures as it formed alongside Plaza Valladolid; the giant toritos were accompanied by crowds of whoop-it-up well-wishers, cheerleaders, and frenetic dancers.

Mexico Cooks! asked this young man why his face was painted half orange, half black. "It matches our torito," he explained.

"I represent the devil, but you know it's not for real. It's just for the toritos dance."

Little ones perched high up on Dad's shoulders for a great view.

Every age celebrates Morelia's Carnaval. The toy this elderly woman is holding is also a torito de petate. Strolling vendors set up all over Plaza Valladolid hawk these little toritos to the crowd of thousands.

Here's information about the 2008 Festival del Torito de Petate, along with a lot more pictures. Plan to be here in Morelia during Carnaval next year! We'll expect you on the Saturday before Ash Wednesday for this exciting party.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.

7 de March de 2009
El Ex-Convento de San Francisco de Asís (The Former Monastery of St. Francis of Assisi), Tzintzuntzan, Michoacán

The sun-filled inner patio of the Ex-Convento de San Francisco de Asís (former monastery of St. Francis of Assisi) in Tzintzuntzan, Michoacán.

Twenty-seven years ago, Mexican friends took Mexico Cooks! to Tzintzuntzan for the first time. We toured the crafts market, the pottery market, the church atrium, and its three churches. That day, for the first time, we visited the 17th Century Christ figure known as the Santo Entierro (the Holy Burial).

The legendary Santo Entierro is displayed in a glass coffin. The faithful believe that his limbs continue to grow. At the left-hand end of the coffin, the extension added for his feet has a US bill taped to the glass; there is more US and Mexican currency inside the coffin, along the lower front edge. The figure's toes are once again reaching their limits.

After visiting these sites, my companions guided me to the Ex-Convento de San Francisco de Asís. We briefly toured the patio, where the walls, decorated with unfortunately deteriorating 18th Century catechetical frescoes, amazed me. Over the course of nearly 30 years, I've visited the Ex-Convento many, many times, especially to see the frescoes.

These are the partially restored portales (colonnades) which enclose an inner garden of the Ex-Convento. Construction lumber braces the arches on all four sides of the building.

Within the last few years, the Ex-Convento has begun renovation. The monastery building, designed and initiated in 1530 by Spanish architect (and Franciscan friar) Fray Pedro de Pila, has fallen into disrepair over the last 450 years. Currently owned and managed by the community of Tzintzuntzan (including Father Serafín Guzmán Rivera, the parish priest; Abel Martínez Rojas, the mayor, and a counsel of townspeople headed by the Secretario del Consejo, Profesor Filiberto Villagómez Estrada), the Ex-Convento is being restored little by little as funds for the work are collected. Suffice it to say that collections are slim in this rural Mexican town. A Mexican foundation, Adopte Una Obra de Arte (Adopt a Work of Art), is making it easier for both small and large donors in Mexico and the rest of the world to be aware of and help pay for this important restoration effort, among other efforts on behalf of other historical sites.

This 16th Century statue of St. Francis of Assisi stands in the entrance to the Ex-Convento's cloister. The Franciscan order opened the Ex-Convento de San Francisco in Tzintzuntzan; it was the first monastery in the state of Michoacán.

Alfarje–openwork wooden Moorish panels built by the early Spanish settlers–decorate the four corners of the cloister ceiling. The alfarje is in the process of restoration.

Restoration of the frescoes around the cloister is a slow and costly process requiring expert attention. Rather than re-paint missing parts of the frescoes, only the remaining portions of the paintings are restored as they are uncovered.

Seven catechetical panels, originally painted in the 16th Century, depicted the sacraments of the church. Three panels remain; this fresco represents the sacrament of marriage. The 16th Century frescoes were over-painted in the 18th Century, as you can see by the participants' dress.

The sacrament of Holy Oils. These frescoes were painted to offer visual illustration of some tenets of the Roman Catholic Church to indigenous people who could neither read nor write, whether their own language or the Spanish of the conquistadores.

The sacrament of Extreme Unction.

Mexico Cooks! was astounded to learn that the Ex-Convento restoration consists of far more than the cloister, the colonnades, and the frescoes. When Secretario del Consejo Filiberto Villagómez Estrada and volunteer docents Victoria María Moreno and Patricia Gabriel Prado opened an unnoticed door, our jaws dropped to see the partially restored kitchen, refectory, and upstairs hallways of the original building.

Decorated with beautifully hand-made Tzintzuntzan cups, plates, and pots, the kitchen takes on a magical aspect as golden early afternoon sunlight pours in its windows.

A kitchen wall niche filled with simple, richly glazed Tzintzuntzan cazuelas, some filled with deep maroon dried chiles, basks in the glow of sunlight. These rooms, elegant and austere, are not usually open to the public, as their contents have not yet been classified.

Locally grown fruits and alcatraces (calla lilies) grace this low table surrounded by painted rush-seat chairs. Burnished and painted ollas de barro (clay cooking pots) rest on the floor to the right.

Patricia Gabriel Prado (left) and Victoria María Moreno (right), volunteer docents, guided Mexico Cooks! through the cloister level of the Ex-Convento. They are wearing women's ropa típica (typical clothing) for a Purhépecha fiesta. Their long aprons are intricately hand-embroidered in cross stitch, as are their blouses.

Dating to the 16th Century, these wooden doors lead to the monastery's original refectorio (dining room).

If you are planning an event in this part of Mexico–a private party, a wedding, a meeting–the rooms of the Ex-Convento are available for rent. All rental stipends are donated to Adopte una Obra de Arte for the continuing restoration of the building. Please email Mexico Cooks! if you'd like to contact the Foundation.

Adopte una Obra de Arte maintains a Spanish-language website where you can see all of the restoration work supported by the organization: Adopte una Obra de Arte.

We are grateful to Secretario del Consejo Profesor Filiberto Villagómez Estrada and Lic. Tania González Mendoza, Coordinadora del Centro Cultural Comunitario "Tzintzuntzan", for their kind permission to visit and photograph the Ex-Convento de San Francisco de Asís. Mexico Cooks! sincerely hopes that our readers will take a serious interest in the continuing restoration of this 16th Century work of art and architecture.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.

28 de February de 2009