The Dining Diva

Mercado Vallisoletano

I go to Mexico the way other people go to Italy, France, or San Francisco...frequently and for the food. One of the things that always keeps me coming back are the mercados (markets); fresh and colorful each one vibrates with it's own special brand of energy. I'm convinced you could find almost anything in one of them, all you have to do is ask. The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in every market. 

 

 When Moctumza welcomed Cortes and his band of Conquistadores to Tenochtitlan, the Spaniards were floored at the markets they saw, not to mention by the vast diversity of products being offered for sale and barter. It exceeded anything they'd seen in their homeland. The Mexican market system has survived more or less intact from Pre-Colombian times to the present.

There are two basic categories of market, the fixed markets and the tianguis. Fixed markets are almost always in permanent structures owned and maintained by the local government and vendors are charged rent (usually nominal) for a stall. They often go by the name of mercado municipales or mercado público and are pretty easy to find. The tianguis is a portable market where the vendor sets up his or her stall in the morning and takes it down at night. They can be a spill over from the main mercado, or they can travel among the different neighborhoods of city.

But enough of that. What does the mercado in Valladolid actually look like. For starters, it's small and it's clean

 

This is the main market where you can find a variety of ripe fruits and vegetables, purchase still warm, freshly made tortillas and get some ideas for the day's comida.

Your nose can often lead you to the meat stalls in a market. They produce pungent odors, and, to the American used to prepackaged meats, shocking visuals. The meat in the market - especially those in smaller towns - may have been on the hoof or foot only hours previous.

 

 

 

Food is not the only thing that gives a Mexican market it's color, nor is it the only thing sold in a market. You can get your shoes repaired, find a pirated movie, buy jewelery, clothing, pots and pans, or even sewing notions and lace.

 

And if needlework is a hobby

 

Every shade of the rainbow, and then some, is available at prices that can tempt one to buy more than they could possibly use in a lifetime.

 

Inside the market is calm and orderly, outside, not so much. There the tianguis vendors set up everyday with a dizzying array of produce, not to mention occasional poultry.

For those who prefer to know who raised their bird and that it's really fresh

 

Radishes were not indigenous to the New World but were introduced shortly after the conquest. Everywhere we went in the Yucatan we saw great huge bunches of gorgeously red radishes

 

And squash that was an impossibly deep green

 

There were juicy, sweet mangoes, caimitos (a relative of the sapote), madarinas, and the sour oranges traditionally used in Yucateco cooking

 

 
 

 

 

The mercado in Valladolid is an easy 4 or 5 block walk from the zocalo. It's only a couple of blocks beyond the Cenote Zaci, a landscaped well (or cenote) with inky black water and a restaurant.

 

ex-Convento San Bernardino de Siena

Picture it, the year is 1552, you're young Spaniards fresh off the conquest and you've just been asked to construct your order's first church in a foreign, and often strange, new world. Your objective is to create a space conducive to converting, ministering and protecting the indians, meeting the needs of the religious and secular communities as well as being a safe haven from potential attack. This was the position in which ex-Conquistador turned architect, builder and Friar, Juan de Mérida and Fathers Hernando de Guevara and Francisco de la Torres found themselves.  

They chose to build their church in a small community called Sisal just outside Valladolid and away from the primary Spanish settlement. Not only would the location allow them to protect their indigenous charges from abuse by local landowners that was already becoming evident, it would also allow them to create a wholly self-sustaining community. Naturally, this didn't sit too well with local landowners who perceived the friars as unfairly meddling with their indian labor. Numerous hostile conflicts occured before and during construction of the church as a result of the choice to situate the church in Sisal. The monastery was built over a large cenote call "Sis-Ha" (cool or cold waters in Mayan) that connected to a quick flowing underground river. From the directional orientation of the church to the many cave-ins during construction, each architectural problem was dealt with as it arose. By 1560, however, after the conflicts, cave-ins and assorted other delays and set-backs, the church was finally completed and consecrated. 

The finished church had a rather squat, fortress-like appearance and certainly lacked the ornate flourishes of churches found in other parts of Mexico and also lacked the typical East/West orientation. The austere construction continued into the interior of the church as well which was, and still is, a plain affair that is devoid of the usual adornment found in many Mexican churches.

One of the things that makes the ex-Convento San Bernardino de Siena an interesting and worthwhile visit is that it looks very much like it did when it was completed. There has not been much modification or addition to the original structure so it's pretty easy to get a good idea and feel for what the church must have been like in 1560.

 

Though walled up now, an open chapel was built on the south side (to the right in the photo above) of the building for the indigenous parishioners.

400+ years of wear and tear have been kind to the ex-Convento. The severe lines have soften considerably, and, in the light afternoon sunlight, the stones and mortar settle into an attractive and mellow ocher glow.

 

 

Fans and students of religious iconography will find a number of statues and retablos inside the church worth checking out. Just to left of the church entrance is a small museum in the old cloisters area that reflects the daily life in the monastery, some treasures that were recently dredged up from the cenote as well as a few nice pieces of colonial religious art.

If the Franciscans were successful in building a stable and functional monastery, they were wildly successful in making it a totally self-sufficient one as well. Once the church was completed, extensive gardens and orchards were planted ensuring a steady source of food for both nourishment and trade. Remnants of the old orchards still stand and on certain parts of the grounds the gentle scent of orange blossoms hauntingly drifts through the air.

 

 

 Since the church was build over a large cenote and underground river, they also had a steady source of clean water. There are 4 access points to the cenote, one of which was turned into the "noria" or well-house. Much of the original stone well-house still exists and it's an easy climb up to take a peek into the depths of the cenote though there really isn't much to see these days except a big grate covering a big hole.

 

 

 In the early 2000s the depths of the cenote were plumbed and yielded a surprising cache of weapons. 167 guns and rifles were recovered from the deep water, along with part of a cannon. Many of the firearms are now on display in the monastery museum along with period photographs and information (in Spanish) about the local skrimishes in which they could have been used.

If walls could talk, as the saying goes, those of the ex-Convento San Bernardino de Siena could surly tell a tale to rival any present day telenovela. As it is, we are left with the purity of the architectural design and graceful old stone facade keeping silent testament to 450+ years of history.

 

 

 

 

Valladolid

The first thing about Valladolid is figuring out how to pronounce it. It doesn't exactly roll right off an English speaker's tongue. Phonetically, it'spronounced Va-ya-doe-leed. Say it fast 3 times and your tongue will not trip over it, and you will remember how to say it.

Founded in 1543, Valladolid was build on atop a Maya town called Zaci (or Saki in Mayan) and laid out grid fashion that is still evident today

 

The grid is traditionally anchored by a cathedral on one corner, municipal buildings and the zocalo. The cathedral in Valladolid was built by the Dominican Order . Not especially thrilled with most of the religious orders,  the Conquistador Hernan Cortes felt the Dominicans would do a better job at converting the Mayas because of their emphasis on learning and charity, and so invited them into the conquered territories to convert, preach and minister to the indigenous.

 

The other traditional city center is the zocalo or main plaza, and the one in Valladolid, while small, is quite charming. In a nod to modernization, free Wi-Fi is offered and there is a steady parade of young and not so young ready to take advantage of it.

 

 

 

Today Valladolid is an extraordinarily clean little town painted in pastel and sorbet colors, where the natives are friendly and there are an abundance of taxis to get you where you need to go.

Valladolid is famous for 3 things, being the site of a major battle during the Caste War of Yucatan , Longaniza de Valladolid and Xtabentún. The Caste war happened a long time ago and you can read about it at the link above if you'd like. Longanzia and Xtabentún are hold overs from long ago that have survived in tact for us to enjoy today.

Longaniza is a highly seasoned pork sausage using achiote seeds, allspice, peppercorns and cloves, then formed into skinny links and smoked over wood, preferably green wood. The achiote seeds contribute to the bright red color of the sausage. If you feel like you want to try making Longaniza, check out page 269-270 in Diana Kennedy's book The Art of Mexican Cooking for complete ingredients and directions

 

Xtabentún is infinitely easier to say than it looks.  Phonetically, this is as close as I can get you - Schtah-ben-TUNE. It's an utterly delicious liquor made from fermented honey, anise and the Xtabentún flower, which is a variety of morning glory. It also comes with a legend that puts is squarely into the realm of aphrodisiacs. 

It seems that the Xtabentún flowers began growing from the grave of a Mayan woman by the name of Xkeban (Schka <long a>-ban). While she liked her neighbors they were not exactly enamored of her because she lived a life of love. Essentially she was the neighborhood hooker with a heart of gold. When she died she transformed into the tiny Xtabentún flower, the nectar of which was said to be as intoxicating as her love. While a little sweet, after only one taste it's very easy to understand why Xtabentún is reputed to have aphrodisiac properties. In the U.S. Xtabentún can be purchased at BevMo for about $36

What to do with Xtabentún?

1 shot good tequila + 1 shot Xtabentún + a good squeeze of lime = Mayan Margarita

1 shot of Xtabentún + a cup of coffee = Mayan Coffee

2 oz light rum + 1/2 to 3/4 oz Xtabentún + the juice of 1/2 a lime and 1/2 a grapefruit in a cocktail shaker with ice = the Xtabentún Daiquiri

Susanne Landa and Jim Rodrick test drove the Daiquiri recipe for me and reported that it's really delicious and helps to cut the sweetness of the Xtabentún 

Valladolid surprised at how quaint and cosmopolitan it managed to be at the same time. If visiting the Mayan ruins it makes a fine home base.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the Road Again

Well, after a short hiatus - okay 2+ years is not a short hiatus - and a few bumps in the road of life

 

I'm back and I've got something to say.  13 days traveling through the Yucatan proved enough to re-energize the writing urge and get, as they say, the creative juices going again.

The trip was the annual Los Amigos del Arte Popular rendevous. Dedicated to promoting and supporting the popular arts - folk arts - in Mexico.  LADAP has 350+ members across 13 states and Mexico.  30 intrepid travelers from California, New Mexico and Texas all met up with a bus in Valladolid, Mexico to trek across the Yucatan.

Our fearless leader in this adventure was former LADAP president Tom Pirazzini (standing)

 

One of the very first things we discovered about the Yucatan, aside from being very hot (90-95* in late February), was that it is also flat, very, very flat and the roads are straight, very, very straight.

 

With occasional opportunities for roadside produce

 

So sit back, settle in with your favorite beer, tequila or aqua fresca and over the next few weeks I'll take you to visit Cobá, Ek Balam and Edzna, for a ride on a pirate ship off the coast of Campeche, to check out a working henequen plantation as well as an 18,000 square foot ode to Mexican folk art. There will be the usual visits to the mercados and zocalos to which I seem to be addicted, and no Dining Diva blog post would be complete without sharing what we ate.  Oh...and be sure to stick around for the cemetary tour, it's not to be missed...really...you'll just have to trust me on that one.

 

Signing off for tonight.