Maya Council Honors Lent With Traditional Dishes in Kantunilkín

Kantunilkín, Quintana Roo — The Maya Supreme Council of Kantunilkín is preserving ancestral traditions by offering typical dishes to the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception during Lent, blending Catholic observance with indigenous culinary heritage.

Donaciano Poot Chan, president of the organization, said these actions are fundamental for remembering the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus. According to the leader, dignitaries organize every Friday to present these culinary offerings before the image of the “Mother of God,” strengthening the connection between Maya identity and liturgical observances of Holy Week.

The culinary proposal highlights the use of endemic ingredients and strict exclusion of red meats and processed products. Among the main dishes offered are cool de hibes, made with local legumes, egg, plum, and chaya; cool de macal, based on regional tubers; and traditional drinks like atole de maíz and atole de camote con macal.

These preparations, described by Poot Chan as “easy to prepare and deeply rooted,” represent cultural resistance against packaged foods. The intention is to show the community that the regional diet allows for nutritious and accessible compliance with abstinence from beef and pork.

The event is not limited to food exhibition; it’s a ceremonial act that begins with the intervention of Maya prayer leaders Román Dzib and Pascual Balam Tuz. After concluding the corresponding prayers, dignitaries and attendees participate in consuming the offerings, transforming the ritual into an act of collective communion.

With this work, the Maya Supreme Council of Kantunilkín seeks to ensure new generations recognize and adopt these customs, guaranteeing that Catholic faith and Maya gastronomic heritage remain as pillars of social structure in the municipality of Lázaro Cárdenas.