Words and photos by Matt Dursum A year ago, my girlfriend and I packed away a week’s worth of clothing, our computers, some electronics and gear, and jumped on a plane to Mexico. Our goal was simple. We were going to work remotely while living in Latin America. We are proud to say it’s been working. One year in and all we can talk about is food. The cuisine we ate in Mexico and South…
Puebla, Mexico, is more than the photogenic facades and cobblestone avenues of its colonial past. Amongst the centuries old cathedrals, buildings, and monuments are food traditions that have withstood the test of time and have influenced Mexican cuisine like nothing else. Today, Pueblan food continues to evolve from a fusion of traditional Pre-Hispanic cuisine and European influenced comfort foods. Award-winning chefs and international powerhouses in global cuisine have poured out of this landlocked state…
Photography by Samantha Demangate In the highlands of Chiapas, far removed from the tropical heat of the coastal valleys, is the Pueblo Magico of San Cristobal de las Casas. At the heart of the city are the indigenous societies that have controlled this land for millennia. Their plight following the NAFTA trade agreement sparked one of Latin America’s most famous armed revolutions and put San Cristobal in the spotlight for its modern leftist revolution and…
Photography by Samantha Demangate For over three millennia, the Maya have shaped the culture, politics, and environment in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula and beyond. Their massive city-states formed a web of trade, intellectual exchanges, and war throughout their homeland and beyond. They developed an effective hieroglyphic writing system, advanced astronomical calendars and observation systems, expansive civil engineering projects, and architecture that rivals anything in the ancient world. Although their cities collapsed, possibly because of environmental and…
Photography by Samantha Demangate “If it flies, jumps, or crawls, throw it in a pan!” We heard these words a lot while in Mexico. The country’s traditional cuisine revolves around sustainability and practices such as growing the mutually beneficial staples of corn, beans, and squash together have been utilized for centuries. One ancient food practice seems to be ahead of its time: entomophagy, aka the consumption of insects. As the world’s population increases and resources…