Hidden Guachochi

In one of Chihuahua’s most remote areas, Guachochi, Pati shares a traditional Rarámuri meal with community leaders Alejandro Hernández and Margarita González, who advocate for land rights, political representation, and cultural preservation. At Kokoyome, a sustainable ranch in the Sinforosa Canyon, she learns about organic farming practices in the region.

Pati explores the culture of mysterious Mennonites, a religious community who came to Chihuahua from Germany. Mostly, she’s after what they’re best known for around Mexico, their cheese! She sees their traditional cheese-making process at Pampas Cheese Factory, the holder of the Guinness World Record for largest Mennonite cheese. Then she tries another local culinary innovation, Mennonite pizza.

In Casas Grandes, Pati rides in style with local art curator Mayte Luján in her 1960s Cadillac. Mayte owns a bed and breakfast, Las Guacamayas, where she invites Pati into the kitchen to make chile con queso in impossibly soft flour tortillas. Later, Pati learns about another tasty export from Chihuahua, pecans, at Gustavo Vázquez’s farm, where his family has been growing them for generations.