A Literary Guide to Mexico City, Mexico

There are few things as comforting as a good book and a hot drink. 

When I travel, one of my favourite methods of settling into a new city is to grab my e-reader and head to the most eclectic neighbourhood cafe I can find for several blissful hours of reading, sipping, and people-watching. It seems that Nicole of Eat This Poem has similar opinions on the way literature and local fare can connect you to a place regardless of whether you're there for a few days or a few years—the "literary city guides" on her website are brimming with the kind of slow travel vibes we love here at Native Traveler.

Check out writer and Mexico City resident Lydia Carey's Literary City Guide to Mexico City and brace yourself for the wanderlust to hit.

The Smells That Let Me Know I Am Home in Mexico

Of all our senses, smell is the one most intimately linked to our memory and emotions. Studies have shown that even a subtle whiff of a certain scent can lift our mood, send a shiver of fear up our spine, or trigger a wave of nostalgia.

It’s no surprise, then, that we as individuals tend to associate specific smells with specific places—particularly places to which we feel a strong attachment. In this article for Matador Network, British expat Susannah Rigg describes the scents that remind her she’s home in Mexico.

10 Foods Introduced to Us by the Ancient Maya

PHOTOGRAPH BY ALDO PAVAN, GRAND TOUR/CORBIS

The Maya civilization was one of the most dominant indigenous societies of Mesoamerica, its population spanning modern-day Guatemala, the Yucatan Peninsula, Belize, western Honduras and El Salvador, and parts of the Mexican states of Tabasco and Chiapas.

Reaching their cultural peak around the sixth century A.D., the ancient Maya are remembered as a powerful civilization who excelled in agriculture, mathematics, calendar-making, pottery, and architecture. But their lofty accomplishments often eclipse a much humbler legacy that lives on in kitchens around the world today—food.

That guacamole you love to add to every burger, burrito, and bowl originated centuries ago in the Maya cities of southern Mexico and Guatemala. Savoury, steamed tamales were enjoyed by the Maya long before the Spanish invasion as a staple of holiday celebrations and festivals. Even chocolate—probably one of the most universally-loved foods of all time—was invented by the Maya, who were the first to take the seeds of the cacao fruit and roast them to make hot chocolate.

Check out National Geographic’s article on the Top 10 Foods of the Maya World to discover what other culinary delights were introduced to us by this ancient culture.