Arrive in Mexico City’s Coyoacan, check into our group’s hotel and have a quick look around this charming historic neighborhood – once home to Frida Kahlo – before meeting for a welcome dinner at El Tajín. Here chef Ana María Arroyo works with the ingredients and flavors of the tropical state of Veracruz, combining pre-Hispanic ingredients, colonial techniques, and modern creative twists – all elements which we will encounter during the rest of the trip – to create a perfect introduction to Mexico. Here we’ll share our first of many meals, get our first taste of mole, and discuss our plans for the week. We’ll also get to know our trip leader, Paco, who will regale the group with stories of his past exploits as a bullfighter and young chess master.

We’ll get an early start and head out to one of Mexico City’s most magical areas, Xochimilco, an agricultural oasis that dates back to pre-Hispanic times. Here canals crisscross small plots of fertile land worked by local families, utilizing farming techniques that in many ways are unchanged since the Aztec period. We’ll get in a boat and cruise the tranquil canals until we reach the land of a farmer who’s been hard at work rehabilitating one of these ancient farms. We’ll get a tour of his plot, learn about how he grows his crops and then sit down for a meal made from ingredients that are truly farm to table. 

After a short rest back at the hotel, we’ll hit the Mexico City streets for an edible investigation of the iconic al pastor taco, featuring some of Paco’s favorite spots. As we move from stand to stand, we’ll learn about how this taco got its start as a simple street snack brought over in the early 20th century by Middle Eastern immigrants and then went on to conquer Mexico – and the rest of the world.

This morning we leave the quiet of Coyoacan for the bustle of Mexico City’s Centro Histórico, where the metropolis's countless layers all converge. On a walk through the neighborhood’s side streets, we’ll get a food-driven crash course on Mexico’s fascinating history and find our way into places rarely seen by visitors to the Mexican capital, including  a locals only market that is home to spectacular public art.

After a rest back at the hotel, we’ll head to Mexico City’s bumping main wrestling arena to attend a night of Lucha Libre matches. But first, a historian (and fanatic) of the sport will give us backstage access to warmups with the wrestlers. You’ll shake hands, and, perhaps, be body slammed. After a couple of hours of rooting for the bad guys, birria tacos are calling at a time-honored spot by the arena. 

Today is devoted to an exploration of all things mole. To do that, we’ll visit Milpa Alta, a center of mole production on the rural outskirts of Mexico City. Here we’ll learn about ingredients, production techniques, regional varieties, and how mole represents the full arc of Mexican history.

On our way to Milpa Alta, we’ll stop by the farm of a local villager to learn about the artisanal production of pulque, a pre-Hispanic drink made from the sap of the agave-like maguey plant, and the harvesting of nopales, or cactus paddles. Together with our local guide, we’ll take some agave sap with us to use at our next stop, the home of a local master, where we’ll learn how to make mole from scratch, using all of the traditional 101 ingredients used to create the iconic sauce. After getting a taste of what we’ve just made, we’ll finish our visit with a late lunch starring – what else? – mole. We’ll also have a chance to bring some of the mole we’ve made home. As a bonus, Dan will be documenting our mole experience as part of an upcoming Sporkful episode and we’ll all get to be part of it.

After a full day, the evening will be free to rest at the hotel or explore Coyoacan on your own.

After seeing how mole is made, it’s time to get in the kitchen and learn how to use it! Staying in Coyoacan, we’ll meet up with well-known Mexican chef Graciela Montano, who will take us on a guided shopping trip through the colorful local market and then bring us back to the kitchen of her nearby historic townhouse. Step by step, she will lead us through the recipes and techniques of cooking with mole, focusing on the materials we’ve picked up in the market. By the time we’re done, you’ll know your mole poblano from mole negro, and your amarillo from verde. After the lesson, we’ll feast on what we’ve prepared, delighting in the moles we’ve tracked over the last few days from farm to market to our table.

Well fed on tacos and mole, it’s time to say goodbye. Until the next time!