Our second Airbnb experience on this trip was called “Dive into real Mexico” and the name is a perfect descriptor. It was a full day experience – just over 10 hours long.
We met our host Daniel in the morning and he drove us 2 hours away to the state where his family originates, Tlaxcala. After exploring the state capital, also called Tlaxcala, we drove to Daniel’s hometown, Texoloc, to cook in his grandfather’s traditional kitchen (seriously, it was over 100 years old!).
That sounds short and sweet, but this trip was a long day, jam packed with food, activities, and knowledge. Obviously, we loved it.
We haven’t blogged much about it yet, but throughout our trip we learned a lot about Mexico’s history and culture, particular the pre-European cultures and traditions throughout the region. Our adventure with Daniel, our last full day in Mexico, was the perfect way to wrap this up, as Tlaxcala and the Tlaxcalan people have a very rich history. You can read more about it here, but the summary from Daniel is essentially this: Tlaxcala has existed for thousands of years, and they were proudly distinct from the Mexica people who were otherwise dominating much of the surrounding area (and who also founded Mexico City’s precursor, Tenochtitlan). When the Spanish colonizers arrived they formed strategic alliances with non-Mexica groups, the first of which was their alliance with Tlaxcala. Tlaxcala people traveled to Madrid to sign this agreement, and they eventually travelled with Spanish colonizers to the Philippines. Even today some traditional Tlaxcala words are spoken in the Philippines, and Tlaxcala descendants still live in the Philippines.
Aside from learning, we also ate A LOT. We started our day in a Mexico City market, eating tamales for breakfast. Then we drove to Tlaxcala where we ate our way through market stalls and wandered around admiring the variety of foods and goods available.
We took a trip through an artisanal market on our way to drink pulque (a pre-hispanic drink known as the nectar of the gods – more on this later). Next we visited the church in Tlaxcala, which is one of the oldest Spanish churches in the Americas. We also visited the city’s bullfighting arena.
And then, after all that, it was time to make dinner!
We went to Daniel’s grandfather’s house where we met his parents and learned how to cook using traditional pre-hispanic tools and techniques. Daniel’s delightful mother lead us through the entire process of making tlacoyos from scratch – including the dough! We even made homemade tortillas!
After all that, we ate again. We then explored Daniel’s grandfather’s farm and took a quick walk through the town of Texeloc (fun fact: everyone in the world with the last name Tecpa can trace their roots back to this very town!).
We took many, many photos, all of which you can see below (with explanatory notes added in for context). If you ever have a free day to spend in Mexico, and if you love food and history, then you definitely should sign up for Daniel’s “dive into real Mexico“! It’s truly one of the most interesting things I’ve ever done while travelling.
Here’s a video of Kevin and I making tlacoyos, and below that are our photos from the day!
the stories that I'm telling. 