Mexico City

Paco, Mexico City Lead Guide

Francisco de Santiago (“Paco”) is a Mexico City native who has a deep passion for his country’s cuisine. He is also sort of renaissance man — a former champion chess player, bullfighter and more recently, a professional gastro-guide. A keen culinary explorer, Paco focuses on the antojitos, or little culinary cravings of his hometown, which are a hallmark of a culinary tour of the city with him. His deep knowledge of Mexico City’s backstreets had led to Paco appearing on Netflix’s The Taco Chronicles and to work as a consultant with the Culinary Institute of America and with chefs such as Pati Jinich, Rick Bayless and Rick Stein.

Liz, Mexico City Walk Leader

Born and raised in Mexico City, Liz brings her experience as a journalist, passionate eater and home-cook to the Culinary Backstreets team. Living for years in the Centro Historico, she gained intimate knowledge and personal relationships throughout the iconic markets, taco stands and cantina of the city. She loves cats, studying languages, writing fiction and most of all, exploring the backstreets of her city. Not a picky eater, Liz says, “Si se arrastra, corre, camina o vuela, a la cazuela.” (If it crawls, runs, walks or flies, in the pot it goes).

PJ, Mexico City Photographer

PJ Rountree, a California native, is a photographer and filmmaker based in Mexico City. He studied sculpture, photography, and video at the Rhode Island School of Design earning his BFA in 2008. After living in Rome and New York City, PJ moved to Mexico City in 2009 where he has lived and worked ever since. In 2012, he and some fellow food-lovers founded the food project Pichón, a pop-up restaurant inspired by Mexico City’s local ingredients and culinary traditions. With Pichón andnow CB, PJ has produced numerous documentary photo and video projectsconcerning Mexico’s rich and diverse culture of food. His images have appeared in Vice (USA), Vice México, I-D México, L’Officiel Art (Fance), Revista Animal (Mexico), Uncube Magazine (Germany), Hoja Santa (Mexico), American Suburb X (USA), Esquire (Russia), and others.

Born in Mexico, Mario has lived in different South and Central American countries, working as a chef and manager. He has explored food from its many angles, leading him to research, write and teach about topics like food anthropology, nutrition and regenerative agriculture. For him, food is the quickest, most truthful way to understand a culture. After a few years cooking and hosting events in the tropical rainforest, he is now a culinary consultant and part time researcher in Mexico City, the place he knows best.

Born in Mexico City, Victor received his bachelor’s degree in tourism and hospitality management at De La Salle University in the city of León, Guanajuato. He got his first taste for travel in 2006, with an internship in India, but has also balanced his work life with continued studies, receiving in 2011 a diploma in Rural Tourism at Buenos Aires University while currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Social Environmental studied at the Universidad del Medio Ambiente in Mexico City. A well-seasoned traveler, he has explored hidden corners in more than 20 countries over three continents and has worked both in tour guiding and restaurant managment. Victor sees his role in the tourism industry as that of being an agent of positive change, always on the lookout for new opportunities to develop productive ideas.

Born and raised in Mexico City, Ana went on to study Portuguese literature at the city’s Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Thanks to her studies, she has worked as a translator and in subtitling films, as well as a Spanish teacher. An avid explorer of Mexico City’s streets and neighborhoods, she started working as a guide after she began to incorporate walking tours into her Spanish lessons. As a guide, she hopes to transmit to her guests her love for her “surrealistic” hometown and to share its sights and culinary delights with them.

Ignacio (better known as Nacho) was born and raised in Mexico City’s quaint Tacubaya neighborhood. Currently pursuing a second postgraduate degree in environmental science, he has worked on developing sustainable transport in Mexico City and also on building jungle trails in Costa Rica. Nacho works as a guide in order to introduce others to his beloved hometown and bring them closer to the city’s soul while walking its streets. As a guide, he is eager to share the stories and heritage of Mexico City and to allow visitors to experience Mexico’s inherent warmth and love.

Jacinto is a Mexico City native who is in love with his hometown. He studied international relations and the history of Mexican gastronomy at the city’s UNAM university and has been working as a tour guide for the last ten years. A serious food lover, he is interested in showing Mexican culture and its idiosyncrasies to visitors. In his free time, you can catch him attending Lucha Libre wrestling matches in town.