About 25 miles off Cancun's northeastern coast, past Isla Mujeres and far into the Caribbean waters, some of the largest known sea creatures loll their summers away. They are whale sharks, a gray-and-white spotted fish that can measure up to 40 feet long and weigh more than 15 tons. That's bigger than many dinosaurs.

On this particular late August morning, I would be hanging out with them for a while. Hopefully, they'd already eaten breakfast. read more

As a child, I sometimes read comic books for entertainment. I did not believe in flying dragons but they certainly stimulated the imagination. As an old-timer, older than dirt, I read travel writers just for fun. I do believe some write at great length about Mexico without ever visiting. Case in point: Smarter Travel magazine had a headline about Mexico secret places. That got my undivided attention. "Ready to discover the real Mexico? If you haven't yet ventured beyond the mega resorts and Senor Frog franchises, here's help. In these 10 cities, undiscovered by most American travelers, you'll see another side of Mexico." The thought of learning about 10 places “undiscovered by most American travelers” was exciting. For many years we have traveled widely but, unlike the Hank Snow long-ago song, we have not been everywhere. read more

Two years ago, along the road from Palenque to the Campeche, passing the small campechano town of Esmarga, we stopped at a roadside palapa restaurant - one of the small, thatched-roof eat... read more

A traditional and delicious Mexican dish, chilmole — sometimes called relleno negro — is made from one of the classic recados, or seasoning combinations. This dish, said to have orig... read more

Here the chaya, a leafy green used throughout the Yucatan, is incorporated right into the corn dough, a common technique in this region. The chopped hard boiled egg filling is complemented by the chile... read more

Merida, the capital of the state of Yucatan, is commanding growing attention for a number of reasons. An emerging hub of art, design and jewelry making, it's also a bastion of culinary flair, centered on its unique Yucatecan flavor fusion born of Spanish recipes and Mayan ingredients. Its central theaters are stunning jewels of architectural poetry, as well as settings for wondrous dance and concert performances.

Merida is also a convenient jumping off point for jaunts to ancient Mayan treasures like Chichen Itza, Kabah and Uxmal.

But it's Merida's after-dark energy that has me instantly enraptured... read more

The Canadian author and Nobel Prize winner Alice Munro said that "The constant happiness is curiosity." If this is the case, then chef and cookbook writer David Sterling must have taken great joy in putting this book together, for it reflects tireless research that was surely driven by an intense desire to learn as much as possible about the cuisine and the culinary traditions of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.
Sterling's 2014 book may well be considered the definitive work on the foodways of the Yucatan. read more

Chronicler Diego de Landa mentioned chaya in 1566, when he observed that the leaves were especially delicious when cooked with plenty of bacon. What isn't? Chayas fritas is an excellent side dish; it a... read more

This is another Yucatecan favorite that makes use of leftovers from the day before. Chayas fritas from the afternoon meal are repurposed for breakfast the next day in this quick yet nourishing dish. S... read more

The base for this coconut sorbet is fresh coconut milk — not to be confused with the water found inside coconuts (although that should be reserved to use in the recipe). You may substitute the fresh whole coconuts in the recipe with canned, unsweetened coconut milk and grated coconut — but you can't beat the flavor of doing it from scratch. read more

Although the Yucatan is hardly associated with cool weather, this stew, which contains chicken along with the meat, is one of its most popular dishes. Sundays in Merida call to mind music in all the pl... read more

Isla Mujeres. That little gem off the coast of Cancun lying peacefully in the Caribbean Sea, beckoning you over to experience her magic. "Magic" is precisely how you will hear isleños — island resi... read more

This little book is just the right size to tuck into your glove compartment or even into a large shirt pocket. Wildlife of the Yucatan Peninsula: The Explorer Family's Guide and Journal is a collection, divided into three color-coded sections, of fifty photos of marine life, mammal life, and bird life that you may encounter in the Yucatan Peninsula... read more

Both white and purple pickled onions are served as condiments in the Yucatan. The purple variety is generally served with cochinita pibil, and both Yucatan style pickled onions make great additions ... read more

Xtabentum: A Novel of Yucatan begins in 1906, in those tense years just preceding the Mexican Revolution. A woman in Merida is giving birth to a baby girl, who will be named Amanda Diaz, and who will be one of the principal characters in Xtabentum.

The young Amanda, with the help of her thoughtful father, begins to understand la Casta Divina, the Divine Class, and how most members of this class "considered themselves superior by birth and the lighter color of their skin." read more

Achiote paste, a characteristic seasoning of the Yucatan, where it is known as recado rojo, has been discussed before in this column. Made from the seed of the annatto tree ground with cumin, cloves an... read more

Yucatecan style quail, typical of the Mexican state of Yucatan, uses a recado, one of the spice pastes that distinguish the region's cuisine. This recipe can also be used with chicken or turkey, inc... read more

Start with an endless array of fabulous dishes from the greatest chefs in the Americas. Add a lavish serving of wines born in regions from Napa Valley to the fields of Chile. Sprinkle with warm, sun-splashed days, beckoning beaches and spirited nightlife. The result: The tempting event called the Cancun-Riviera Maya Wine & Food Festival, staged in Quintana Roo, Mexico. read more

On our first serious visit to Mexico, back in the old days, the touristy thing to do, after Cancun, was to catch a bus, take a tour, or rent a Volkswagen bug, drive to Chichen Itza and scale the magnificent pyramid, El Castillo, featured attraction at the most famous Maya ruins in the Yucatan. Back then, climbing the pyramid was permitted and it was an awesome experience. read more

This delicious soup from the Yucatan uses half-ripe plantains, meaning green and yellow, not black and yellow. Use vegetable broth to make it vegetarian, if desired, and add more broth for a thinner Yu... read more

It is no secret that Canadians love Mexico; for years, thousands of Canadians have been fleeing cold winters to the warm beaches and colonial towns of Mexico. Over the past few years, more and more Canadians have called Mexico their home.

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This hearty stew gets its flavor from pork and a medley of vegetables. The best choice for the pork stew meat is shoulder. In Mexico, ask the butcher for espaldilla. Substitute güero chile for the xca... read more

The monkeys, they tell me, are asleep in a cave across the lagoon. But other than that disappointment, my trip to Pac Chen, a micro sized Maya village in the jungle of the Yucatan Peninsula, is the per... read more

This is the story about Jeanine Lee Kitchel and her husband, Paul, who made their first trip to the Yucatan Peninsula in 1985 and fell in love instantly with the place. They had visited various parts of Mexico before that and were quite taken with the country. But the Yucatan beaches were of a different order. read more