Tejate: The Pre-Hispanic Cacao & Corn Energy Drink
This experience follows our Covid Protocol. Please make sure to go over our protocol and to only reserve an experience if you´re in complete agreement with the terms.
Tejate is a corn and cacao-based drink traditional to the state of Oaxaca. It originates back from the pre-hispanic era and was initially used during ceremonies. It continues to be popular in Mixtec and Zapotec villages, especially around the area of San Andrés Huayapam, although it´s also well-known by people in and around other areas of Oaxaca.
Join us to make tejate with Doña Julia, who was born and raised in Yatareni and has been making this delicious beverage alongside her mother since she can remember. Doña Julia works to transform locally-grown corn into a myriad of delicacies, from fresh tostadas to nicuatole and tejate.
Doña Julia is the lovely matriarch of several generations in Yatareni, and she has been filling bellies with delicious corn-based food for many decades now. Each day she prepares fresh tostadas, nicuatole, and other scrumptious things for sale in the city center.
What to Expect
Step One: Read our Covid Protocol. If you agree with these terms and practices, write to us and request this experience, telling us how many people are in your small group and what your dates of availability are. Let us know where we’re staying so that we can arrange to pick you up on the agreed-upon date.
Step Two: Once we’ve found a date that works for our hosts and for your group, we will send you a Paypal request for a deposit for your experience. This deposit is non-refundable. In case of an emergency with our hosts, we will do our best to reschedule with you at a mutually-convenient time. If that is not possible, we will refund your deposit.
Step Three: We will pick you up around 9 a.m. We will get to learn about rural life in the village, eat local food made by Doña Julia and her family, and immerse ourselves in the tejate-making process
Experience Includes
- Transportation to and from Yatareni (leaving from/returning to a central location)
- Spanish to English translation if necessary
- Hands-on instruction on how to make tejate, including the roasting and grinding of each ingredient
- All ingredients
- A delicious brunch prepared by Doña Julia, of fresh memelitas or empanadas made on the comal and topped/stuffed with either mushrooms or squash flower blossoms
- All of the tejate you can handle
- All products necessary for sanitization and to maintain our Covid Protocol.
Logistics and Cost
Time Involvement –3-4 hours
Transportation – Transportation is provided from your home, hotel, or a central location to Yatareni
Costs and Minimums –1180 MXN pp. Children are welcome to attend. Ages5-12 receive a discounted price of 550 MXN. Children 4 and under are free.
There is a minimum of 3 people for this experience.