Insect.

Every country has its offbeat delicacies and Mexico is no exception.  For Mexicans, it's all about insects!

I munched on scorpions when I was in Beijing and they were actually quite tasty.  I definitely want to sample what Mexico has to offer.

Considered a delicacy by Mexicans, chapulines or grasshoppers are available only in certain parts of Mexico, the state and city of Oaxaca being best known.  High in protein and low in fat, chapulines are a cheap form of nutrition and have been on the Mexican menu for over 3000 years. Oaxacans, typically from ethnic minorities like the Zapotec,  consume 85 different insects including 15 varieties of grasshoppers (Orthoptera).  I didn't know there were that many different varieties to choose from.

Uxmal.

Ponounced "Oosh-mahl", the ruins of this once great Mayan city are located nearby Campeche. Though not as well known to the general public as Chichén-Itzá, Uxmal is rated by many archaeologists as the finest example of an ancient Mayan city.

The name Uxmal means 'thrice-built' in Mayan, referring to the construction of its highest structure, the Pyramid of the Magician. The Maya would often build a new temple over an existing one, and in this case five stages of construction have actually been found.

Tortilla.

Corn is the predominant crop farmed in Mexico and corn tortillas are the staple of the Mexican diet. In the northern part of the country, wheat is the major crop so in those regions, wheat tortillas are what you will see on the table.

On this trip, we'll be going south so I'm expecting to see corn tortillas at every meal.

Until my recent trip to Guatemala, the only tortillas - wheat or corn - that I had ever eaten either came from a plastic bag or a Tex Mex restaurant.

Our first morning in Guatemala was spent in Guatemala City, wandering the streets around the bus station. There, we stumbled upon a group of three women making fresh tortillas by hand. We watched them skillfully take golf ball sized pieces of masa and slap them back and forth between their hands to create about a 5" circle. The tortilla was much thicker than I was accustomed to seeing. We bought a small bag and as I opened up the bag of still warm, freshly made tortillas, the scent of fresh corn hit my nose -it was an intoxicating smell. I've never forgotten that smell and I'm hoping that I can find it in Mexico!

Campeche.

Painting by Paul Cross

Located in the southwestern portion of the Yucatan Peninsula along the Gulf of Mexico, the state of Campeche was named after the ancient Mayan kingdom of Ah Kin Pech (Canpech). The capital city shares its name with the state.

The city of Campeche, formerly known as Villa de San Francisco de Campeche, was founded in 1541 by Francisco Montejo the Younger after several previous failed attempts by his Spanish predecessors.

After Spanish occupation, Campeche was terrorized by pirates and marauders until 1686 when a French engineer by the name of Louis Bouchard de Becour was commissioned to surrounded the city with a wall.

Campeche still has the appearance of a fortress. Historic monuments and buildings, Mayan ruins and the old city wall, which is an eminent example of the Spanish military architecture of the 17th and 18th centuries, all add up to why Campeche was inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999.