The seeds that gave us our heritage

A glimpse of the food cultures of Mexico

By Ministry of Culture of the Government of Mexico

General Directorate of Popular, Indigenous and Urban Cultures

Limpia del sembradío (2016) by Elvia Rodríguez RodríguezMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico

The food cultures of Mexico are the heart and soul of its towns and communities, where the stories, knowledge, memories and flavors are shared in each dish that each family has created, recreated and innovated over multiple generations.

1 Serie Peregrinación de la Caña (2016) by Arnulfo Salazar AguirreMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico

Sharing these intangible values present in the dishes does not only occur in the act of eating; the importance of the cuisines comes from the rural environment, from the various agricultural systems, such as the milpa and family farms.

In Tlacualli in Coyoaltepetl, Comida del pueblo de Coyotepec (2012) by Guillermo López BarreraMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico

Places where the very life of those who sow, harvest, cook and feed themselves is transformed; places where milpas are established; where corn, pumpkins, chili peppers, quelites and beans are preserved.

Cocineras nahuas (2014) by Claudia Alejandra Pureco SánchezMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico

Food cultures generate a sense of belonging, because what we produce, cook and eat preserves the very history of humanity.

La cosecha (2020) by Zoe Aparicio MendozaMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico

The voices of grandmothers and mothers heard over the stoves, talking about what is being roasted, what is fermented, what is sweet and salty, about each inherited preparation in which we recognize its importance and enrichment over time.

Danza de los Tlacololeros 2 by Fernando Óscar MartínMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico

The cuisine of the Indigenous, Afromexican and mixed populations of our country are the expression of the emotional processes that occur in the groups to which they belong,

Las cruces son fijadas en la Capilla del Cerro Grande (2016) by Jonathan Cerón EsparzaMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico

as each meal prepared is accompanied by joy, pain, sadness—cutting through the collective moments of communities.

Cocineras tradicionales de Santiago de Anaya (2021) by Dirección General de Culturas Populares, Indígenas y UrbanasMinistry of Culture of the Government of Mexico

Through this living project, the Ministry of Culture and the Government of Mexico evoke the memories, smells, flavors, techniques and experiences of the foods that give us our identity and that now bring us together through this medium, just the kitchen does.

Credits: Story

Secretary of Culture
Alejandra Frausto Guerrero

General Directorate of Popular, Indigenous and Urban Cultures
Mardonio Carballo Manuel

Directorate of Food Culture
Griselda Tihui Campos Ortiz
Jesús Mendoza Mejía

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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