Yucatán Hosts Ancestral Cuisine Expo for New World

Mérida, Yucatán — Yucatán will host the Expo Fiesta Cultural, Gastronómica y Artesanal “Cocina Ancestral para un Nuevo Mundo” on November 28 and 29 at the Centro de Convenciones Yucatán Siglo XXI, bringing together master traditional cooks from Mexico and abroad to celebrate their culinary roots.

To continue positioning Yucatán as the Ibero-American Capital of Pre-Columbian Gastronomy, the Government of the Maya Renaissance, through the Secretariat of Tourism Promotion (Sefotur), supports initiatives that honor the roots of Yucatecan and Mexican culture, such as the 2025 edition of the Cultural and Artisanal Gastronomic Festival “Cocina Ancestral para un Nuevo Mundo”.

The event, which will take place on November 28 and 29 at the Centro de Convenciones Yucatán Siglo XXI, will gather female and male master traditional cooks from Mexico and various Latin American countries in the International Congress of Master Chefs, a space that will celebrate culinary richness, traditional knowledge, and the cultural identity that distinguishes each participating region.

Traditional cooks from Cuba, Peru, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Colombia, Brazil, and Mexico, including representatives from Yucatán, Tabasco, Oaxaca, and Puebla, will be part of this gathering that will offer a mosaic of flavors, ancestral techniques, and avant-garde culinary proposals.

During the presentation of the event, led by the Undersecretary of Sustainable Tourism Development, Raúl Paz Noriega, the relevance of this initiative for strengthening the cultural and gastronomic tourism offer in Yucatán was highlighted.

Also participating were the founder of the gastronomic festival, chef Pedro José Estrada Vázquez; the promoter and organizer, Karla Solís Moreno; the Argentine sommelier, José Carlos Palacios; and the businesswoman Alejandra Ortiz Flores, from Acozac Frutas y Verduras.

Paz Noriega emphasized that this festival helps bring local, national, and foreign visitors closer to the ancestral flavors that make Yucatecan gastronomy unique.

He also recalled that this announcement is made in the year Yucatán received the Distinction of Ibero-American Capital of Pre-Columbian Gastronomy, an award given to Governor Joaquín Díaz Mena during the International Tourism Fair in Spain, for his permanent support of Maya culture and initiatives that strengthen culinary traditions and the state’s economy.

The programming will include the sale of food at accessible prices, specialized conferences, culinary demonstrations, the use of traditional spices, and artistic presentations from the participating countries. Additionally, gastronomic stands of Saberes y Sabores will be set up at the Centro de Convenciones Yucatán Siglo XXI.

On November 30, activities will be held at the Casa de la Cultura de Progreso, and on December 1, a gastronomic workshop will take place at the Ya’axché Ethnogastronomic Center in the municipality of Halachó.

The full program of activities can be consulted on the official social media of the International Congress of Master Chefs and the Cultural Gastronomic Festival.

With this celebration, Yucatán reaffirms its leadership as a gastronomic and cultural destination, opening spaces for dialogue, exchange, and recognition among those who preserve and promote the ancestral cuisines of the world.