Yucatán Magazine / Issue 8 / The Women's Issue by Yucatán Magazine

THE WOMEN’S ISSUE

yucatanmagazine.com

No. 8

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» 5 bedrooms » 6 bathrooms » 1770 M2 Lot » 765 M2 of Construction » Renovated » Tall Colonial Ceilings » Formal Living and Dining Rooms » Large Poolside Pergola » 16-meter (50 ft.) Lap Pool Vegetation » $2,300,000 USD » Mature Walled for Privacy 1915 Garcia Gineres Mansion Property Code 3052

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$595,000 USD Villa Tuunich

» 25 meters of Sisal Beach Frontage » 95 meters of depth » 1,900 M2 lot » 185 M2 construction » Open space concept » 3 bedrooms » 2 bathrooms » Filtered Lap Pool » New Construction

$895,000 USD

Modern Beachfront Home

Casa Oasis

Property Code 7105

Property Code 1230

» 9 meters frontage in Mejorada » 51 meters depth » 2 bedrooms (room for a 3rd bedroom) » 2.5 bathrooms » Colonial with a modern design » Interior Garden » Filtered Pool » Chef’s Kitchen

$599,000 USD »

with high-end Appliances Pasta Tiles

» Stone Floors

» Premium Location in Santa Ana » 24 meters of frontage » 33 meters of depth » 6 bedrooms » 5 bathrooms » 5-meter ceilings » Air-conditioning » Irrigation system » Security system » Filtered and Heated Pool » Off-Street Parking for 2 cars » New Construction » Perfect for a Boutique Hotel

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and Lush Backyard Garden

Property Code 1234

parking for 4

Property Code 1222

$595,000 USD

Casa La Puerta Azul

» 26 meters of frontage » 70 meters depth » 570 M2 construction » 1,645 M2 Lot » 5-meter ceilings » 4 bedrooms » 4.5 bathrooms » Newly Renovated in 2022 » Large Filtered Pool with Water Feature » Space to build more rooms » Covered Garage

$189,000 USD Celestun Beach Getaway Property Code 7097

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Get to know Yury Di Pasquale, founder of Yucatan Homes and Lots Interview, Page 42

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! D OL

$359,000 USD Ermita Colonial Property Code 1076

See more listings online! www.yucatanlotsandhomes.com

WhatsApp / cel +52-999-947-2559 • 1-214-256-3876 U.S./Canada Landline yury@yucatanhomesandlots.com

Director Lee Steele lee@roofcatmedia.com Guest Editor Maggie Rosado van der Gracht Editor Carlos Rosado van der Gracht carlosrosado@roofcatmedia.com Marketing Yesica Benitez yesicabenitez@roofcatmedia.com Editorial Consultant Pablo Arroyo Díaz Creative Consultant Eduardo Vázquez Digital Content Manager Lindsay Cale Circulation Alejandro Pinto Tolosa ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTORS Yesica Benitez Maggie Cale Bénédicte Desrus Hannah Hudson Laura Sánchez Juanita Stein Claire Tyrpak Joanna van der Gracht de Rosado Eduardo Vázquez Subscriptions subscriptions.yucatanmagazine.com Advertising & General Information info@roofcatmedia.com

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Yucatán Magazine

AÑO 2, NÚMERO 8 Todos los derechos reservados por Roof Cat Media S de RL de CV, Calle 84, 278 x 59C y 59D Fraccionamiento Las Américas, Mérida, Yucatán, CP 97302. Prohibida la reproducción total o parcial del contenido sin autorización previa y por escrito de los editores. La revista asume que el material aquí presentado es original y no infringe derechos reservados de ley. Reserva de derechos de uso exclusivo del título. Yucatán Magazine no se hace responsable por el contenido de sus anunciantes. PRINTED IN YUCATÁN, MEXICO

PHOTO: BÉNÉDICTE DESRUS

índice 4 Editorial 6 Just Asking 7 Getaways: Puebla for the solo traveler 10 Food & Drink 13 Books 14 Seen: What we’ve observed SPECIAL SECTION

22 Women who inspire us Movers and shakers, entrepreneurs and pioneers shaping our community

41 Yucatán at Home 47 Marketplace 48 Framed

YUCATÁN MAGAZINE | ISSUE 8

Editorial

Celebrating women

W On the cover: The Amazonas of Yaxunah are among the women we celebrate in this issue. See our stories starting on Page 22. Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht

hen I was first approached about being the guest editor for Yucatán Magazine’s first-ever Women’s Issue, of course I felt many things. Honored for being considered, excited about the incredible individuals we were going to feature, and of course, a huge sense of responsibility to do their stories justice. The women in this issue come from all different geographical places and stages in life, but they share one thing in common — drive. A mission that steers their lives and which they gift their community. Sometimes they serve as pioneers, other times they shake up crusty old rules, and sometimes they bring people together under a collective sense of purpose, but let’s not forget, they also do things just because it is their heart’s desire to do so. I personally am excited to see many familiar faces. Women I have met at different points in my life and admired throughout, such as Alondra Cupul, Vanessa Rivero, and Anakaren Rodríguez. Others, whose work I have fangirled over from a distance like Cristina Baker, Míriam Peraza, Kimberly Davin-DeGraff, and Las Amazonas. And then there are those who have been instrumental in shaping me at

both a professional and personal level, like Claire Joysmith, Juanita Stein, Judy Abbott, and my mother, Joanna van der Gracht de Rosado, who also writes for the magazine. But learning and being inspired by new stories has also been rewarding, such as the work of Semillero K’an-Lol, Jessica Park, Ebony Duff, Sistah Yaya, Tatiana Echeverría, Fernanda Toler, Mary Valle, and Dra. María Flores. Additionally, we are so fortunate to have original contributions from Maggie Cale, Hannah Hudson, Claire Tyrpak, and Joanna van der Gracht de Rosado. Along with amazing portraits by Bénédicte Desrus and Laura Sánchez. Although we could include only a small sample of women’s vast contributions to our society, we hope that they inspire you in the same way they have done for us. That you see some names you recognize, but also find new causes to celebrate, and that you seek out the work that they and others do and support them.

Maggie Rosado van der Gracht Guest Editor, Yucatán Magazine

ISSUE 8 | YUCATÁN MAGAZINE

Just Asking Question posed on Facebook.com/yucatanmagazine: What do you still need to mule down from your home country to make life here a little easier?

“Vitamins, products for Black hair, shoes, underwear and bras, filters to fit my shower head, certain clothes, magazines in English (I don’t like to read online), English learning materials for homeschooling, Ethiopian food, coffee, spices.”

“Old Dutch Ketchup Chips.”

“Peanut Butter M&Ms.” “Real Swiss and French cheeses, Swiss chocolate, Thai spices, Swiss herbs, etc.”

“Vitamins, “Bush’s baked horseradish, and black beans, grape jelly, licorice.” large containers “I’ve got to bring down my sink and new faucets.”

of Pace, pickled okra, horseradish.”

“Chick-fil-A sauces, Slap Ya Mama seasoning, Jiffy corn bread, scented candles, body butter.”

“Luzianne tea bags, Butterfingers, and firesticks with higher memory.”

“Black tea, candied ginger, Now-brand stevia, Better Than Bouillon vegetable base.” 6

“Maple syrup ... 8 cans each year at least. Granma’s molasses. All kinds of Chinese sauces and products.”

“I keep trying to get visitors from Montreal to bring me real bagels, but alas.”

“Miracle Whip, green relish, Tim Horton’s.”

“I’d love some Christmas pudding and Rose’s Lime Juice Cordial. That’s about it.”

“Not a damn thing!”

Getaways

Puebla and beyond

Reflecting its 16th-century roots, the city of Puebla is often remiscent of Europe. PHOTO: GERARDO MENDOZA

YUCATÁN MAGAZINE | ISSUE 8

Getaways The artisan market El Parián is one of Puebla’s most-visited tourist attractions. PHOTO: CLAIRE TYRPAK

A solo traveler explores the heart of Mexico

CLAIRE TYRPAK

n one warm and sticky morning, I left Mérida for Mexico City, where I would go on to Puebla on another solo adventure. I had been visiting Mexico for 30 years before moving here in 2021, so I had already seen much of the country. I was excited to finally see some new places, especially since I hadn’t done so since before the pandemic.

Cuernavaca’s iconic Museo Robert Brady holds a private collection of art, historic artifacts, and decor. PHOTO: COURTESY

I had heard lots about the beauty of Puebla, and I was not disappointed. A picturesque city with 16th century architecture, it reminded me of being in Europe, with copulas and church towers jutting out of the skyline from the first look I took from the third floor of my hotel. I stayed in the Centro Histórico close to the zócalo, in a neighborhood with a local urban feel. Wandering the Old Town, I was awed by the grand old cathedral. I strolled the Barrio del Artista, where artists have small spaces to ply their trade, followed by El Parián, Puebla’s traditional handcraft

market. It is one of the most-visited attractions in the city, Several cobblestone pedestrian streets in the center of the city make it easy to stroll by the variety of shops, cafes, and restaurants. One area boasts buildings of multibright colors which reminded me of Buenos Aires. Puebla is the place where one of my favorite things comes from: Talavera tile and ceramics, so I purchased some mugs to add to my small collection. There is just about every kind of ceramic item on offer in various hues. Being that Mexico was in the lead-up to its patriotic Día de la Independencia celebrations, there were green, red, and white decorations everywhere. On the main square, I heard live music, saw the raising of a large Mexican flag by the military, and encountered a VIP gathering. It has been said that in Puebla, there is a church for every day of the year. El Templo de Santo Domingo, for example, features the incredible Capilla del Rosario glimmering with gold throughout. A must-see is the first public library in the Americas, Biblioteca Palafoxiana, founded in 1646. There are books from the 17th and 18th centuries in a beautiful wood-filled room. It is housed in the Casa de Cultura right next to the main cathedral. Another must-see is Museo Amparo, full of pre-Hispanic artifacts. An extensive ISSUE 8 | YUCATÁN MAGAZINE

photo timeline depicts the years of famous human-made and natural sites since before the Common Era. Since it was in season, I enjoyed a vegetarian restaurant’s version of the famous Chiles en Nogada. I also tried a street vendor’s Helado en Nogada for the first time. Tunnels under the city had been considered no more than an urban legend up until 2015 and are said to be 500 years old. Their origin and use are unclear but are believed to extend for more than 10 kilometers. Open to the public, they end at the Loreto Fort Museum, the site of the Cinco de Mayo battle. The first tunnel was about 15 minutes from my hotel. After dodging traffic on a busy road, I entered the underground world. It is free to enter and was much like a museum with some small exhibits along the

The Pirámide Tepanapa in Cholula is topped by the brightly decorated Santuario de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios. PHOTO: GERARDO MENDOZA

YUCATÁN MAGAZINE | ISSUE 8

well-lit way. I exited in a local area and was instructed that the next tunnel was across the street. This second tunnel was much narrower and low-ceilinged, which made me slightly claustrophobic. It went on seemingly forever, and I was about to turn around and go the long way back when I finally saw the literal light at the end of the tunnel. I exited into a scenic park with a small lake with ducks wading on it and a nice view of the city. I could not leave, as it was fenced in, and after wandering a while, finally found one exit onto a side street where I encountered a growling street dog that I was convinced was about to attack. I realized I was walking too close to the food someone had left him on the sidewalk. I then proceeded to walk the long way back to the hotel courtesy of my phone’s

GPS, and by spotting the pretty cúpula that I recognized close to my hotel. In retrospect, a taxi would have been a better way to go. I made sure not to miss a day trip to the small nearby city of Cholula, about half an hour away, complete with its wonderful view of the Popocatépetl volcano (nicknamed “El Popo”) and the yellow church on a hill which is actually Pirámide Tepanapa. The pyramid is unfortunately closed Mondays, which is when I visited. Cholula has a large wide-open square, so people gather under the covered area next to it lined with restaurants. There are many old churches, just like in Puebla, and an old monastery with some graves. After a week in the bustling city, I took a ride share to another new-for-me city, Cuernavaca. Much smaller and laid back, it hosts a lovely historic center that includes the incredible Museo Robert Brady, an old monastery that the American artist/designer purchased. He spent years traveling the world to fill this gorgeous home with art and artifacts. I spent my first Día de la Independencia in Cuernavaca. I skipped the nighttime parties but could hear the music and fireworks from my room three nights in a row. On Friday, Sept. 16, I stepped out of my small hotel to witness a line of police trucks full of police officers in the bed of the truck, all down the next block and also down another street. It was otherwise still, so momentarily created some pause. When I saw another person walking nearby, I continued on my way. I got to watch all the police vehicles drive by, which started the parade. They were followed by some military vehicles, then ambulances, and finally, healthcare workers marching by. I ran into the full parade by the time I got near the main square. It was quite a big event, with many marching groups in different colors and the prerequisite drumbeat and music. I was so close to a city I had long wanted to see but never quite made it. So, I took a day trip to Taxco, the famous city of silver. I approached on a winding road into the center, ending at the zócalo. Taxco’s narrow cobblestone streets, houses perched on hills, and flower-filled balconies remind me of Italy. The city was full of handmade items besides the many shops and stalls with the famous shiny silver jewelry for sale. There were woven baskets and masks made from coconut shells among the many items for sale. I did most of my purchasing here as there was just too much to resist. I returned from Cuernavaca to Mexico City on the day of a big earthquake on the Pacific coast, but luckily, I avoided it, ready for my next Mexico journey.  9

Food & Drink

Sincerely yours South of La Plancha, Luciérnagas y Cosmonautas is a source of calming, simple food TEXT AND PHOTOS HANNAH HUDSON EDUARDO VÁZQUEZ PORTRAIT NATALIA SÁNCHEZ

stone’s throw away from the future La Plancha park to the north is Luciérnagas y Cosmonautas (Fireflies and Cosmonauts), a small restaurant created by Abril Batún and Natalia Sánchez. This gem — located in an area that may at first glance seem a little chaotic and caught up in the city’s rapid development—is the perfect opportunity to duck in and out of the hustle and bustle of the street to catch your breath and have a delicious bite to eat. The decor is unassuming and minimalist yet warm and welcoming. Soft music flows into the dining area from the kitchen. The furniture is simple, and the colors are sober and sharp. Modestly small, there is a tiny kitchen, a small waiting area in the entryway, and only three tables in the dining room. The opening hours are limited and vary depending on the day. The menu is perhaps a little atypical, offering a range of dishes from quail tacos, pastas, and castacán quesadillas, to meat-free options. Reading through the menu, it is clear that Abril and Natalia apply their creative flair to every dish. The vegetarian plantain enmoladas caught our eye as the mole for this dish is prepared with eggplant. The flavorful sauce and tart cream garnish proved to be good counterparts to the sweet plantains. We also ordered the Chicken Sando with xcatic mayo slaw and pickled local cucumber. The sandwich bread and burger buns are made in-house. The sandwich was delicious (crunchy, juicy, soft, and tasty), and we would definitely go back for another.

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While we were still eating, we saw a handsome dessert pass by on its way to another table, and we immediately ordered the same: pecan tartlet with ice cream and café especiado inspired by the traditional café de olla. The pastry was crisp, and the filling was rich and just sweet enough, not at all cloying, when eaten with a bit of the ice cream. It is immediately clear that the couple’s strong convictions guide the project. Fiercely independent, they set up the restaurant with the intention of using the proceeds to fund their other artistic projects (photography, writing, and a larger restaurant, to name but a few). Each aspect and detail has been thoughtfully and carefully created as an authentic, sincere expression of themselves. The food itself is made to be enjoyed by others, but above all is what they want to serve, without pretensions, a cocina sincera. Natalia explains: “This isn’t gold, it’s barro [clay].” Abril’s cuisine is not about creating fancy, elaborate dishes, or showing off techniques learned by rote at culinary school. Instead, each dish shows how beauty can be found even in the ordinary and in life’s simplicity and brevity. A cliché, but in this case, very true: this is honest food made with much love. Luciérnagas y Cosmonautas, Calle 48 between 55 and 57, La Mejorada, Mérida. Open Monday and Tuesday 7 a.m. to noon; Wednesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. @_luciernagasycosmonautas

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Food & Drink SIDE BAR

Yucatán’s Top 5 microbrews

ifteen years ago, craft beers in Yucatán were a disappointing proposition. Today, artisanal brewers here are preparing some delicious and unique microbrews. In no particular order, here are our favorite lesser-known brands. » Phelddagrif Blonde Ale (Thodes Ale) is much more amber in color than one would expect. It is smooth and easy to drink but a little lacking in body. It leaves no aftertaste, pairing particularly well with some tacos de picaña. The names of their beers make reference to Nordic mythology and feature labels with bizarre mythological creatures. Facebook: @Thodes.Ale.Brewery » Session IPA by Casa Pinillos is a really solid India Pale Ale by any measure, and probably the best domestic take on IPA I’ve had. Hints of citrus were extremely refreshing, but its aroma is more like pineapple. West Coast IPAs are known for being low in malt content, very clear, and dry with a focus on the hops. Facebook: @casapinillosbrewing » American Stout by Fervor has a color that suggests a stronger body, but this is not the case. American Stout’s hints of coffee and chocolate are not exactly my cup of tea, though my companion seemed to enjoy it. After drinking half the bottle, a subtle aftertaste began to develop that was compensated by a wonderful aroma. @cervezafervor » Cerveza de Miel by Acasillados achieves a great balance between hops and honey. In all honesty, I expected a novelty beer. I was mistaken. If you did not know right off the bat that this beer is infused with honey, you might have a hard time putting your finger on the source of the sweet taste. This beer went down extremely easily and was extremely light. @acasillados » Laguer Habanero by Laak also sounds like a novelty beer, but it’s not. At the first sip, the taste of habanero is barely discernible. Maybe about one-third of the way through, the pepper’s unmistakable tingle asserts itself. Not that at any point it became overly spicy. Facebook: @Cerveza_Laak —Carlos Rosado van der Gracht

Molotes at Nanishe are filled with chorizo con papa and bathed with beans, green sauce, and queso fresco.

Nights at Nanishe

ednesday to Sunday evenings, Nanishe takes over the kitchen at firm favorite Maíz Canela y Cilantro. A family-run affair, Javed, his sister María de los Ángeles, and their mother Sebastiana started the business 10 years ago, moving to Santiago last April. The family takes pride in serving authentic Oaxacan food prepared with ingredients they bring directly from the region. The menu is short but punchy: chilaquiles, tlayudas, tortas, and molotes, washed down with natural fruit juices, guayaba being the star of these. We decided to share two dishes, the first of which was the molotes. The best way we can describe these is crisp corn torpedos filled with soft chorizo con papa. They sit on a bed of shredded lettuce and are bathed with beans, a creamy green sauce, and a sprinkling of queso fresco. The real magic happens

though, when you add a dab of salsa macha to each bite, really making all the flavors and textures sing. An icon of Oaxacan cuisine, the tlayudas are made with either white or blue corn filled with a thin layer of refried beans, asiento (pork lard) that adds a very characteristic flavor, quesillo, and either tasajo (dried beef), chorizo, cecina (pork with a dried chili pepper rub), or chapulines (dried grasshoppers). Think of this as the most delicious, brittle, 30-centimeter corn “quesadilla” you’ll ever eat. Food prepared by locals with strong convictions and ties to authentic ingredients and traditions never fails to delight the taste buds. Nanishe, at Maiz Canela y Cilantro, Calle 70 464, between 55 and 55A, Barrio de Santiago, Centro, Mérida. Open 6 to 10:30 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday. @tlayudasnanishe

TEXT AND PHOTO HANNAH HUDSON and EDUARDO VÁZQUEZ ISSUE 8 | YUCATÁN MAGAZINE

For the bookshelf Juanita Stein » The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times by Michelle Obama

In her new memoir, Michelle Obama goes beyond stories of her own life. As its title implies, Ms. Obama shares inspiring ideas about how to stay positive when all around us might be falling apart. Just like the rest of us, she has felt concerned, challenged, and sometimes lost in the constant flux of negative ideas and events that seem to persist more every day. In this follow-up to her immensely popular memoir Becoming, Ms. Obama builds a sort of toolbox for navigating change. Readers will feel as if they are sitting at her kitchen table sharing a frank dialogue about how to build and maintain honest relationships and overcome feelings of self doubt. One of the most inspiring and downto-earth women of our time, once again Michelle Obama engages readers in a way that few others have done by simply having an honest, open conversation about things that pretty much everyone can relate to. With compassion and candor, she describes the strength that comes from community and in the discovery and recognition of our own light. Hardcover, 336 pages, 799 pesos.

» Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus This delightful debut novel features a unique heroine named Elizabeth Zott, a chemist working at a research institute in southern California in the 1960s. She’s in a man’s world where women simply can’t be considered brilliant scientists. When Elizabeth finds herself in the unexpected situation of being a single mother who has to find a new way to make ends meet, she reluctantly takes a job as the host of a TV cooking show titled “Supper at Six” — but, not surprisingly, this is no ordinary cooking show. Elizabeth’s unconventional approach to cooking (“combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride”) quickly captures the hearts and minds of its exponentially-growing audience. But gradually, the backlash begins. Because as it happens, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women how to cook. She’s daring them to challenge — and change — the status quo. Laugh-out-loud funny, piercingly observant, and filled with an irresistible cast of supporting characters, Lessons in Chemistry is as original and captivating as Elizabeth herself. Hardcover, 400 pages, 654 pesos.

Juanita Stein owns the Mérida bookstore Between the Lines on Calle 62 and 53 in the Centro. Visit facebook.com/BetweenTheLinesMerida

YUCATÁN MAGAZINE | ISSUE 8

The jungle next door When Michael Kinsey Erb bought his new home in the Las Américas five years ago, it looked like all the others on his block. Today, his property is a bit easier to distinguish from the rest because it is surrounded by a living fence created by a row of chacá trees. Drivers often stop to take photos, and neighbors call it “the jungle,” or “Hobbiton,”

if they are Lord of the Rings fans. “Any gardener can source them,” says the Canadian native, who takes his privacy seriously. “Usually, they go to the jungle and cut limbs, you plant the cuttings, and they take root.” The rear garden is thick with ferns and sometimes flowering plants. “It’s my pride and joy,” Michael says. “The secret is simple, really. I keep all leaves and cuttings and use them for ground

cover. I even add limbs I find on my walks to the store. I clean out the storm drains close to me as well. It is good compost.” In the forests, the chacá is usually seen near another tree called chechén. And oddly enough, the chacá produces nectar to neutralize poisons found in the sap of the chechén. It’s explained in a Mayan legend about two great warriors who were brothers. Kinich was kind and loving,

while Tizic was hateful. Both fell in love with Nicte-Ha. They battled to the death to determine who would have her and died in each other’s arms. In the afterlife, the gods granted their wish to return to Earth to see the beautiful maiden again. Tizic was reborn as the chechén while Kinich was reborn as the chacá. And to this day, they both watch over Nicte-Ha, who was reborn as a beautiful white flower.

ISSUE 8 | YUCATÁN MAGAZINE

2018

YUCATÁN MAGAZINE | ISSUE 8

Seen

La Vida en Coco

YUCATÁN STUDIO

The group La Vida en Coco was created in Oaxaca as a response to news about the Pacific Ocean’s island of garbage that’s actually bigger than France. Among their reclaimed objects are coconuts that were collected from the sea and adorned with beautiful plants. Each one is original and fairly breathtaking in its simplicity. Takto Gallery, Calle 35 at Reforma, Mérida, takto.mx; Tseebal Concept Store, Paseo 60, Mérida

ISSUE 8 | YUCATÁN MAGAZINE

Magic trees appear to be hands reaching up, or waving to drivers imploring them to stop and shop. “Look what popped up overnight,” says the former Ogilvy & Mather art director. “This is why I love Mérida.” Calle 25 between 18 and 16, Col. Chuminopolis

LAUREL EMERY

It doesn’t take an artist’s eye to see the beauty in what a shop owner did with five trees that Laurel Emery encountered on a sidewalk in Mérida. A metal workshop’s owner painted them a variety of bright candy colors, and their branches now

YUCATÁN MAGAZINE | ISSUE 8

Seen

Esquina Pet Portraits Is it too much to expect your cherished rescue cat to be immortalized in the style of Mérida’s famous corner plaques? Monica Petrus thinks not. The California artist — now based in Lourdes Industrial — offers Custom Esquina Pet Portraits, 35-by-35 centimeters acrylic on canvas, for 900 pesos, or just under 50 bucks. Without thinking twice, we commissioned one by texting her some photos from the couch. Now our beloved Bello, crooked tail and all, is famous forever. facebook.com/MonicadeHocaba

We sea a challenge Seeing crab quiche, ceviche and other seafood items on his chalkboard, we challenged the owner of Nomade Gastro-Tienda to make something we’ve been craving — a real New England lobster salad. Rodrigo Yamir Almonacid Toledo was game. His corner store — which pre-pandemic was intended to be a restaurant — now is a sort of farm stand/takeaway shop. Give him a day and Rodrigo is happy to venture off the menu. So we sent the Chilean-born chef a traditional recipe a lobster roll, both Maine and Connecticut style. Results were excellent, even with Mexican langostino instead of the big boys from the North Atlantic. At least it satisfied our craving until our next trip to Ogunquit. Also worth trying: the pressure-cooked pulpo (octopus), and the empanadas that fly off his table at the Slow Food Market most Saturday mornings. Nomade Gastro + Tienda, Calle 52 at 43, Centro, Mérida 18

Crab quiche

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High note It didn’t take long for El Bolero to find its piano bar tribe. The friendly and intimate venue filled up quickly with devotees of romantic music and standards. Both pros and amateur performers take to the microphone to belt out lush, heartfelt ballads. Vocal acrobatics abound from beside the stately grand piano that dominates the colorful, softly lit room. Shows feature a range from bossa nova to James Taylor. And what’s refreshing in a youthdriven night scene, the husband-and-wife owners Tania Barrera Mendicuti and Montxo Garcia, keep the atmosphere welcoming for all ages. Calle 45 near 54, Centro, Mérida. facebook.com/elboleropianobar

Mr. Clean This independent, eco-friendly shop in García Ginerés carries everything from all-purpose cleaners to laundry and dish soap, in refillable containers. Eco Beet’s owner, Alex, opened the environmentally conscious household supplies shop in October 2021 to provide high-quality organic products that reduce any impact on the environment. Handmade soy candles and hand-painted canvas bags are also in stock. Calle 17 190 between 10 and 12, García Ginerés; facebook.com/ecobeetoficial

YUCATÁN MAGAZINE | ISSUE 8

Experience the best in contemporary art IN DOWNTOWN MÉRIDA CALLE 60 #400-A ENTRE 43 Y 41. CENTRO.

PHONE: +52 9993 447463 MONDAY - FRIDAY: 10:00 – 17:00 SATURDAY: 10:00 – 14:00 WWW.SOHOGALLERIESMX.COM

Seen

Light touch How come our skylights don’t do that? Deborah LaChapelle, a home builder and designer whose color palettes remain unsurpassed, never ceases to surprise us. Here’s a house in San Sebastián that we previously visited (yucatanmagazine.com/deborah-lachapelle) too early in the day to see what the sun does when it’s at just the right angle. Then one late afternoon we were dumbstruck by what we had missed: an amazing light show in the front parlor. For two decades, Deborah has been rescuing old homes, redoing the floors, raising the ceilings, building casitas out back, and making the property unmistakably “d’LaChapelle.” She says skylights’ reputation for leaking and causing complications is undeserved. And with block glass like this, they work magic for those colonial homes that seem to beg for light.

Cochinita kingdom When we went to interview owner Míriam Peraza Rivero for another story (see page 28), we did a double take the minute we walked through Manjar Blanco’s front door. The famous Yucatecan restaurant had expanded into the old Retorno bakery space next door, more than doubling its footprint and adding a beautiful courtyard in the rear. The new dining room is traditional in style — exposed stone walls, pasta tile, antique furniture — but has a contemporary sheen. The morning we visited, every customer was out back, eating al fresco. Míriam has been dubbed the Queen of Cochinita for holding the Guinness World Record for the largest-ever cochinita pibil, coming in at a whopping 4.5 tons. When TV chef Rick Bayless came to town, one of the first places he visited was Manjar Blanco, and he met with her at the 2017 Chicago food fair, where she represented our corner of Mexico. Calle 47 496, between 58 and 60, Centro, Mérida

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Death becomes us Is Yucatán a natural setting for filming something post-apocalyptic? Apparently. “Little Deaths,” an independent film on the festival circuit, makes use of the Peninsula’s weather-beaten antiquity to tell the story of a dysfunctional millennial couple scraping together a mundane existence after disaster strikes a dying world. The cast features many local actors and extras, and if you look closely, some scenes were shot where our previous cover was photographed. Booked often for weddings, Hacienda Dzbikak is lovely, but in a different context, its moodier side appears. The same goes for a cenote, where a particularly beautiful but haunting scene was filmed.

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ISSUE 8 | YUCATÁN MAGAZINE

Inspiring

Women

CARLOS ROSADO VAN DER GRACHT

Some of the female movers and shakers, entrepreneurs, and pioneers we thought you should know.

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ISSUE 8 | YUCATÁN MAGAZINE

The Amazonas of Yaxunah

One seed at a time

A DISTINCTIVELY RURAL SOFTBALL TEAM CAPABLE OF FILLING KUKULCÁN STADIUM

he Amazonas of Yaxunah start off every softball game with Mayan battle cry, ending with a roaring mujeres fuertes! Though the team started off in 2018 as an outlet to simply have some fun, the Amazonas and their unique style soon captured the attention of everyone in town and far beyond. They are most famous for the fact that they play barefoot and wearing the traditional Mestizo huipil. But make no mistake, though these women play mostly for fun, they are real athletes with a deep passion for the game. “People often ask us why we wear no shoes and play in our huipiles, but the truth is that this is what we wear in our day to day, it’s what is most comfortable for us,” says shortstop Nayeli Uicab. “Besides, there is nothing quite like the feeling of the field and earth directly beneath your feet.” Over the past couple of years, the Amazonas have begun to really garner attention, which has made them celebrities in Yucatán. They now travel almost every weekend across southeastern Mexico to play in exhibition matches. Not Fun fact: bad for a team from a town with a population of just In Yucatán, around 600 people. baseball and Last year, the Amazonas made history when they softball have filled Mérida’s 15,000-seat Kukulcán Alamo stadium an enormous in a match against another all-women’s team, La following. Natividad de Sucilá. In Mérida “There was so much fanfare, fireworks and the alone, the chanting of the jam-packed stadium was simply elec- municipal trifying. It was such a big moment for us and one we women’s will always remember,” says outfielder Rosy Cuxin. softball “It’s quite exciting!” says squad pitcher and capleague tain Sitlali Poot. “It’s quite a big deal.” boasts over Despite all living in Yaxunah, the members of the 60 teams. Amazonas originally came from rural communities across the state and range in age from teenagers to women in their late 50s. “When I was a little girl I loved going out and playing with the boys because a girls’ softball team was unthinkable to most in the community,” says Celia Lorenza Chan Canul, who plays first base. “When we got the team together in 2018, at first my husband did not really approve. But when he saw how happy it made me, he eventually came around and became one of our greatest champions. Now that he has passed away, this game is my way of honoring his memory and the life we built.” 

n the tiny town of Yaxunah (home of the Amazonas, left) nine women are working to ensure that traditional varieties of corn, beans, chilies, lentils and many others are not wiped out by genetically modified variants created by multinational corporations. They do this through their own community seed bank and exchange called K’an-Lol, which translates as “the flower of good corn” in the Yucatec-Maya language. “These seeds are part of our heritage, and if they disappear, they will be gone for good,” says Martina Ek of Yaxunah’s seed bank. The system loans out seeds to locals at no cost, who then return new seeds to the bank after the harvest. The solution is low-tech but works because its seeds are always in circulation and creating new ones for the following season. Most people who come to the seed bank are subsistence farmers who cultivate their milpa to help feed their families — with occasional small surpluses making their way to local markets. Though more vulnerable to drought, traditional varieties of maize, such as the nuuk nal, which has a reddish color, tend to be larger and more nutritious than their genetically modified counterparts. “Corn was first domesticated by our ancestors and it’s our gift to the world, but also our responsibility. So much these days is so uniform and flavorless … we just knew we had to do something about it,” says Enedina Poot Canul. Just as was the case thousands of years ago, people today in Yucatán rely heavily on corn for their everyday diet and use a process called nixtamalization, through which maize is soaked and cooked in an alkaline solution made up of lime water. It is then washed, hulled, and transformed into tortillas and other staples. The women of the K’an-Lol seed bank are now also offering up their homegrown produce for sale with the support of Fundación Haciendas del Mundo Maya.  To order a guacal of fresh produce, send a message at instagram.com/traspatio.maya

Facebook: @AmazonasDeYaxunah

TEXT YESICA BENITEZ

YUCATÁN MAGAZINE | ISSUE 8

PHOTOS CARLOS ROSADO van der GRACHT

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Alondra Cupul AN ALL-AROUND ATHLELETE WHO PLAYS TO WIN IS TEACHING OTHERS HOW TO COMPETE

rowing up surrounded by strong women, Alondra Cupul always knew there were no limits. At 13, she began playing basketball and made Yucatán’s state team the same year — an early sign of her extraordinary athletic gifts. For over a decade, Alondra played basketball competitively, winning multiple championships and accolades. By the time she was 23, Alondra would discover a new athletic passion: long-distance running. She ran her first competitive race in 2008, and to her amazement and that of the entire running community, she placed third, virtually out of nowhere. Her successes continued. From 2009 to 2011, Alondra won every over-50 race she participated in — fiercely establishing herself as a force to be reckoned with. In 2012, she ran a marathon while pregnant, though she did not know it at the time, and repeated the feat a second time when she and her husband were expecting their second child.

“Being pregnant is not an illness. Of course, you need to take certain precautions, but I want my children to grow up knowing they are capable of anything,” says Alondra. Alondra has also competed in several prestigious international marathons, including the Boston and Berlin marathons, often coming in as the race’s “fastest Mexican.” Alondra continues to rack up victories, her most recently a first-place finish at Mérida’s 2023 Marathon. Since 2020, Alondra has been a notoriously tough running coach. Her trainees insist that she must know what she is doing because their results have been nothing short of life-changing. Despite all of her sports achievements, Alondra insists that her greatest victory is the lifelong relationships she has made along the way, particularly with her husband, whom she met on the basketball court.  TEXT YESICA BENITEZ

PHOTOS BÉNÉDICTE DESRUS

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Patsy’s Daughters Moved Abroad Sistah Yaya / Soul Tribe Heals HARNESSING THE SPIRIT OF YUCATÁN TO BRING HEALING TO EVERYONE

hen Chicago natives Ebony Duff and Tonya Cummings arrived from Virginia to Mérida, they knew that moving abroad required packing more than a toothbrush. Your mind, body, and soul all come along for the ride. After closing their cakes business in 2021 and suffering all the pain that came with such a loss and disappointment, they came to Mexico for healing. And that’s how Patsy’s Daughters Moved Abroad, named for their late mother, was born. Along with traditional relocation services, they collaborate with a tarot reader and an astrologer and host tours that “share the riches of the Yucatán culture.” So despite what reason a client has for moving to Yucatán — and there are many — relocating here is also an opportunity to “release the old beliefs that no longer serve the beautiful being you want to become.” Their journey here was serendipitous. After seeing Sistah Yaya on TV, the daughters tracked her down after doctors

were unable to prevent Ebony’s 6-year-old nect with their ancestors. And have fun. A daughter’s frequent daily seizures. Sistah recent beach gathering attracted 30 guests. Yaya stopped the seizures with her own All three agreed that moving to Yucatán Afro-Caribbean-centered herbal remedies has brought them peace in their lives. “It feels and therapies. She also recommended a like home. It’s very calming. It’s very mothmove to Yucatán, where she was running ering,” says Sistah Yaya. ”It kind of puts her Soul Tribe Heals. arms around you and holds you in.” Sistah Yaya, Ebony, and Tonya have Their move here coincides with the big smiles that go with their easy, Blaxit social movement among Blacks TEXT infectious laughter — we barely from the United States who are LEE STEELE made it through their photo shoot discovering other countries in which PHOTO for this story without cracking up they might fare better. CARLOS ROSADO van along with them. “There is such an energy of Sistah Yaya describes herself as der GRACHT oppression that we live through an indigenous medicine woman, daily,” says Sistah Yaya, recalling herbalist, oracle, spiritual medium, and her life in the United States. Here, they see doula, who provides expert guidance smiles when they walk down the street. through pregnancy and childbirth. “In Yucatán, they see you as a human,” “I know the power of what I do. I’ve had says Ebony. “Yeah, they don’t see you as this gift since I’ve been 4 years old,” says a color. They see us as people, they see Sistah Yaya. us. They love our children. They love to Previously in New Orleans before being embrace them, they embrace us.” forced out by Hurricane Ida, Soul Tribe Heals is based in greater Progreso, helping patsysdaughtersmovedabroad.com participants find themselves and even conand soultribeheals.com

From left, Tonya Cummings, Sistah Yaya, María Rafaela Canché, and Ebony Duff. Canché is a midwife who leads Maya Sobada workshops.

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From left, Olga Moguel and Míriam Peraza Rivero have a seat at Manjar Blanco in Mérida.

Olga Moguel Míriam Peraza Rivero Colleagues with community consciousness

íriam Peraza Rivero, of Manjar Blanco, and Olga Moguel Pereyra, of Amaro, are entrepreneurs who built their successful restaurants from the ground up. “You need to be creative and resilient to have a business of your own,” says Olga. Míriam laughs and shakes her head. “You bet, and I learned all about that at a young age.” Míriam had just turned 4 when she moved from provincial Valladolid to live in Mérida with her grandmother, an acclaimed cook. “When I pulled on her apron strings, she’d hoist me up to where I could smell

and taste the fragrant spices she used in her recipes.” The young girl asked every question she could think of, and eventually gained an encyclopedic knowledge about the ingredients found in regional dishes, and the medicinal properties of local plants. Decades later, two of her sons studied culinary arts. And once they graduated, Míriam and the boys established their restaurant across from Mérida’s Santa Ana market. As a tribute to the woman who nurtured Míriam’s passion, they called their new enterprise, “Manjar Blanco,” the name of her grandmother’s signature dessert. Olga Moguel Pereyra is a bi-national citizen of

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Mexico and Argentina, and she did not spend all of her formative years in Mérida. She traveled back and forth and, during one of her stays in Yucatán, she wondered why there weren’t more clubs with live music downtown. A friend suggested that she start her own place. The idea buzzed around in her brain until she finally did so in 1993. “Like my colleague, Míriam, I wanted to name my restaurant for someone I admired, Dr. Jesús Amaro Gamboa. He was rector of the UADY in 1936 where he championed students’ rights. Dr. Amaro was a master of diverse pursuits, such as biology, literature, and philosophy. It was an honor to know him.” Nowadays, Amaro ranks as a favorite spot to enjoy a few drinks or a meal al fresco and listen to trova — the music genre that has flourished in Yucatán since the 1890s. Because both women work right in the heart of the city, they say hey have a true perspective on all its potential and its challenges. “Understandably many people fall in love with Mérida and look for a way to live here. A lot of them seem to believe that starting their own business in such a magical place must be relatively easy,” says Míriam, “but overcrowding and excessive noise in the downtown core are issues that must be resolved before more growth is viable.” On the other hand, they feel there is great potential for entrepreneurs in the state’s smaller cities. Stimulating investment in these places would promote more employment opportunities, and more services would be available to the citizens. For the investor, creating a business in a new place would provide a chance to have both a satisfying lifestyle and work environment. “Of course, in a different locale or in a new job, success is dependent on many variables. But you need to keep chopping onions,” says Míriam. Olga looks puzzled by the reference, so Míriam explains, “When you chop a lot of onions they make you cry. But you keep on chopping because you know they’ll wake up the flavor of the dish you’re making. And the same is true when you need to resolve an issue that prevents you from creating the life you want, you need to stay consistent, work like crazy, and keep on chopping onions!”  BY JOANNA van der GRACHT de ROSADO PHOTO LEE STEELE

Mary Valle From criminal attorney to Yucatán’s Scoop Goddess

ce cream heaven began out of hellish circumstances, and I am grateful. Mary Valle, known as the Scoop Goddess, started her business after Pho MX, a popular Vietnamese restaurant she managed, became a lockdown casualty. But when she started Ela2, she was the happy face we looked forward to seeing, especially during those difficult days. When she was 8, her family moved from Spain to Mexico, where she pursued a career as a criminal attorney and worked for the federal Supreme Court. Then one day, the family started looking toward Mérida as a possible place for her parents to retire. Mary’s husband, Juan Barragán, was transferred here by his company, and in a whirlwind move five years ago, here they are. When the restaurant closed, they put their heads together and connected with a previous family trade: It turns out that ice cream is in her husband’s family tradition. So they decided to start making sorbets. Seeing a niche to fill, she then learned to make all-natural ice cream, sugar-free, and vegan. The name Ela2 (“ee-la-dos”) is a play on words that mixes the Spanish word for ice cream — helados — and the Periodic Table of Elements, a sly reference to her parents’ careers as chemists. “I wanted a product that would make people happy but also that individual connection to each person in my community,” says Mary, who still delivers the product personally when not stationed at her table at the Slow Foods Market each Saturday. Mary also sells at Slow Food Mérida Norte, Tribu Ketzal, Natural Thangs Farmers Market in Chelem, and Crocodiles Restaurant in Progreso. Some restaurants carry it on their dessert menus, often with exclusive flavors, such as Butterscotch Whiskey at Hennessy’s Irish Pub. The business is growing, but Mary states, “I want to continue to deliver my product. I find many people living alone who really appreciate good conversation.”  Find Mary on Facebook at Scoop Goddess VIP. BY MAGGIE CALE

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PHOTO LAURA SÁNCHEZ 29

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Joanna van der Gracht de Rosado A MOTHER-DAUGHTER CONVERSATION ON WRITING AND PATIENCE

Joanna van der Gracht de Rosado at home.

y mother and I are talking about how much life has changed in the 47 years since she moved to Yucatán. “I’ve come a long way since North Vancouver,” she says. “My city is a cosmopolitan hub now, but in the 1970s, North Van was a pretty small place.” In 1976, Joanna van der Gracht worked for CP Air. She could speak Spanish and was asked to accompany a familiarization tour to the Mexican Caribbean and Cuba. “Travel to a warm place — it was January, and was I ever excited — Cuba was an eyeopener, but more was to come,” she smiles. “On our first day in Yucatán, I met your dad, and as they say, the rest is history.” The trip was a resounding promotional success for the airline, and Joanna got assigned six more trips back-to-back. When her contract was up, she sold her car in Canada, kissed her loved ones goodbye, and moved to Yucatán. “I enjoyed Mérida, but I missed my family and friends. Making international phone calls was prohibitively expensive, so I resorted to writing letters. So many letters. I wrote pages and pages about my visits to the market, the colorful buildings, the fragrances, foods, flowers, and spices. I also wrote about my frustrations with learning new Spanish nuances, my confusion with some of the local customs, and bugs and the heat. My family passed the letters on to friends who also liked reading about my adventures abroad.” Her audience grew when she began writing for The Mexico City News, which in the day was the top English-language daily in Latin America. “My editor was the legendary Joe Nash,” she says with pride. But writing took a back seat from 1990 until 2008. My brother and I were little kids who needed her. As well, she and Dad had opened a tourism and language college, Tecnología Turística Total (TTT). Being immersed in family, her friends, and her work, she had no time for much else. But she hadn’t lost her love of storytelling. One day when she was telling a group of international colleagues about her life in Yucatán, one of them said, “you should write a book.” And that got Mom thinking. She was starting to pull back from her work at TTT. “Yucatán had changed a lot from when I first moved there, and I was ready to tell the ISSUE 8 | YUCATÁN MAGAZINE

Jessica Park story of those changes — both Mérida’s and my own,” she says. Independently printed, Tomando Agua de Pozo was a local success and was reprinted just three years later by Mazatlan Books as Magic Made in Mexico. Although Joanna has published other projects, she has now come back to her own story. “I want to address how people live, how COVID impacted our lives, and how it still continues to affect our lifestyle. Traffic in Mérida is definitely big-city aggressive. Entire families have moved from other states in Mexico to live in Mérida, and international resident numbers are off the charts. I want to give newcomers a more up-to-date perspective on what living in southeastern Mexico is really like.” When I ask her how she’s changed in the time she’s lived here, she looks reflective. “I think that when I first moved here, I always wanted to be busy and moving fast from one activity to another. I still have lots of energy, but I’ve come to appreciate many aspects of life here that I once took for granted. Yucatán won’t ever be like Ajijic or San Miguel de Allende; it has a unique culture and traditions. I hope those contemplating a move here will learn about the customs and respect the Yucatecan way of life.” Joanna says her years in Mérida have brought her a great deal of personal satisfaction. “Raising two bilingual and bicultural children is an achievement that fills your Dad and me with gratitude. I feel the work I did at TTT was important to our community, as was my role with the International Women’s Club. The friendships I have made have also taught me a lot.” Mom and Dad do a lot together but also have their separate interests. Hers are writing and painting. These days, Mom seems satisfied, what we Yucatecans call una vida tranquila. But then she turns and opens her eyes wide. “I’ve lived almost 70 years, and have lived them well. I hope I’ll have a good many more.” Obviously, Joanna van der Gracht de Rosado still has a few surprises in store. 

A YOUNG ARCHITECT BUILDS A BUSINESS FROM THE GROUND UP

Jessica Park has collaborated with Erick Puc since 2021.

ark Estudio defies its youth. Founded four years ago by architect Jessica Park Zavala, and in association with architect Erick Puc since 2021, it exhibits a maturity usually gained from many more years of experience. Jessica’s path to architecture began in Holbox when, as a small child, she would accompany her mother on visits to different houses with an engineer friend of the family. These were her first experiences of how a building can evoke feelings. Her interest now centers on how to create different sensations. Aspects such as how the wind flows through a space, the play of light from openings, textures, heights, and volumes. Accordingly, both space and function are the cornerstones of Park Estudio’s designs. They aim to “create emotions and experiences that, by way of the senses, offer a unique perception in each project.” Jessica and Erick’s collaboration came about to ensure the designs were accurately translated from blueprints to reality during construction, often undertaken by an external contractor. They maintain control of all schedules and processes which, in turn, affords them the flexibility to experiment when the opportunity presents itself — repurposing stones from the demolition stage or testing traditional surface finishing techniques. The general sensibility of the team’s approach couples with personal, environmental, and cultural sensitivities. When working with her first foreign clients, Jessica recognized she needed to entender otra cultura en mi cultura — understand another culture within her own — as a non-Mexican client’s appreciation, perception, and requirements vary. For foreigners, dining rooms designed around entertaining; creating modern, open-plan living spaces within a colonial structure; or wanting to build or accentuate Mexican architectural features, are often important considerations. Pueblear — exploring local towns — is a favorite source of creative information for the team. Traditional Maya house construction, textures, techniques, and uses of materials are all details that, back in the studio, fuse with current trends and the client’s preferences to bring about refreshing traditional takes on Yucatecan architecture. 

BY HANNAH HUDSON PHOTO COURTESY JESSICA PARK BY MAGGIE ROSADO van der GRACHT PHOTO LAURA SÁNCHEZ

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Cristina Baker at Hacienda X’canatun

Cristina Baker A PIONEER IN HACIENDA RESCUE HAS ALWAYS FELT AT HOME IN MEXICO

orn in New York City in 1951, Cristina Baker was just a toddler when her family moved to Mexico. After high school, she returned to the United States and graduated from Smith College with a BA in Latin American Studies. “When they gave me the option to spend a year abroad, I chose UNAM, and immediately following my graduation, I moved permanently to Mexico City,” she says. “I spent 15 years there, in advertising, at Noble y Asociados DMB&B and at Proctor & Gamble.” She married Jorge Ruz Buenfil, the son of a renowned French archaeologist, Alberto Ruz L’Hillier, the discoverer of King Pakal’s tomb in Palenque. Indeed, the couple’s affection for Yucatán runs so deep, they named their only daughter Maya. In 1993, ties grew even closer when Jorge bought Hacienda X’canatun, or “stone house” in Maya. Cristina moved to Mérida, and personally supervised the reconstruction. Over seven years, the sprawling, but dilapidated 18th-century estate was transformed into a luxurious hotel and spa. Today, Yucatán is famous for its hacienda resorts, but Cristina and Jorge were among the very first entrepreneurs to have such a vision.

Inaugurated on New Year’s Eve 2000, X’canatun soon became known as the most elegant destination in Yucatán. Cristina’s dedicated attention to every management and aesthetic detail is recognized as having raised the bar for the hospitality and tourism industry here. “Originally, we intended to sell X’canatun to coincide with Jorge’s retirement in 2008,” Cristina recalls, “but political and financial situations in Mexico delayed the sale until August 2019.” She smiles, “And that’s when we sold our property to the Banyan Tree Group.” The lockdown severely curtailed tourism and socializing, but the new owners took this period to add more amenities. As well, during this time, Cristina was diagnosed with cancer. But she faced the illness with the same fortitude that had served her so well during her earlier challenges, and today, she is in full remission. Cristina and her husband are now retired. “But we are consultants at X’canatun, so we get to stay involved with the tourism community of Yucatán,” she says. The two love traveling, and when not on a trip, they are surrounded by family and friends. 

BY MAGGIE ROSADO van der GRACHT

PHOTO LAURA SÁNCHEZ

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Judy Abbott A LIFELONG ROMANCE WITH YUCATÁN

BY MAGGIE ROSADO van der GRACHT PHOTO LAURA SÁNCHEZ

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ucatán is a paradise, but maybe paradise isn’t perfect. Maybe it has potholes, mosquitos, and humidity that makes your hair frizz. Realistic, directfrom-the-locals’-mouth is what comes to mind when we think of the travel tips Yucatán Today has been issuing for the past 35 years. And its co-founder, Judy Abbott Mier y Teran, was inspired by her own discoveries of the Peninsula to start a magazine that has become a local institution. Born in New York state, Judy first visited Yucatán in 1971 as a student in Iowa’s Central College exchange program. During her visit, she met Juan Manuel, “the most handsome man I’d ever seen.” After falling in love with her future husband and the city, Judy was prepared to return to Mérida and make it her home. The couple married in 1974. After 10 years working in health services, Judy joined forces with Juan Manuel to publish their first magazine in 1983. “We were both very interested in tourism, and wanted to promote Yucatán, so we started Mayan Holiday.” Learning much over the next five years, Yucatán Today was born in 1988. Since then, the magazine has been a family business. “Our daughter Andrea started working at the magazine when she was still a student, and with the course of time became its director, helping it grow in new directions,” she states. And although she declares she now feels “fully retired,” she is by no means inactive. Aside from being the “first female Commodore of the Yucatán Yacht Club,” she has been an active member of the Women’s Tourism Confederation since the Mérida chapter began. But of all Judy’s community service, she considers her work with Telchac Education to be the most personally rewarding. Inspired to start the foundation after learning about a similar initiative in Chelem, she founded the nonprofit 15 years ago. Today, Telchac Education provides over 100 students from Telchac Puerto with essentials — backpacks, notebooks, uniforms — needed to complete their studies. After Juan Manuel’s passing in 2015, Judy has been asked if she will remain in Yucatán, and she’s ready with her reply. “It will be my home until I am no more.”  33

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Dra. María Flores Méndez was the first female plastic surgeon in southeast Mexico. In blue scrubs is Dr. Gilberto Medina Flores, who is one of two sons who followed in her footsteps. Photographed at Eme Red Hospitalaria Mérida. 34

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Dra. María Flores Méndez A SURGEON WHO BROKE BARRIERS REMEMBERS THE INDIGNITIES DURING HER EARLY CAREER

ra. María Flores Méndez was the first female plastic surgeon in southeastern Mexico, and in 2000, was the first woman president of a plastic surgery college. She remembers when a woman rarely was in charge in an operating room. She hasn’t forgotten the abuse and disrespect during her residencies, either. With the help of her son, Dr. Gilberto Medina Flores, who, like his brother Eduardo followed closely in her professional footsteps, we asked her to reflect on those times and tell us about her life and career today as a plastic surgeon in Mérida. Please tell us about the beginning years of your practice. Since I was in residency, we were 19 residents: 18 men and me in general surgery. They always wanted to expose me as not good enough. This prompted me to demonstrate that not only I could do it, but I could be better than them. The same happened during my plastic surgery residency: There were seven men and me, and they always wanted me to do everything they didn’t want to. Once, we had a symposium in another city, and someone had to stay at the hospital to take care of the patients. One guy told me that since I was a woman, since I was married, and since I had a small child, it was me who had to stay behind. I replied that I was not there in residency because I was a woman, because I was married, or because I had a kid, I was there because I had gone through the same selection process as everyone else, and we could just draw straws, and if fate decided me to stay, I’d do it. But I wouldn’t stay because I was the only woman who wanted to be a plastic surgeon, like everybody else. And I went to the symposium. How long have you been in practice, and how long will you continue? I have been a plastic surgeon for 34 years, and maybe I’ll keep working for three more years. I don’t mind if you publish my age — 67 years. Are there benefits to being a woman in medicine? Once I had a patient who came to my office, and her husband didn’t want her to come here anymore because I was a woman. But the lady came back because she really didn’t like the way she was treated by two other male surgeons. She felt more confident with me.

Claire Joysmith is a poet, writer and retired academic born and raised in Mexico City to British parents, both of whom were artists. She is best known for her research on Chicana, Mexicana, and Latina poetry. Today, she divides her time between Mérida and Bacalar.

WAITING CHAIRS to my daughters

Three steady chairs speak of who we women are breezing our lives in this turquoise home of space, doors and windows. Sunlit trees for curtains arms always open wide. • A whiff of promise from the stove chants the next meal’s prophecy as our words merge into mid-morning light where fantailed birds dip red breasts in quartz waters cupped in stone. •

Tell us about your volunteer work. I have been working with cleft lip and palate kids, with a group called Sharing Smiles, with help from Rotary Clubs here and in Winter Park, Florida, and with the support of Florida Hospital Orlando (now AdventHealth Orlando). We have been doing this for 23 years, and we have changed the lives of about 3,000 kids, performing several procedures on most of them, for free. I also work with the national association for clefts and craniofacial anomalies. Has it gotten easier for female doctors in Yucatán? I believe it is a bit easier today for women. However, I believe that many young female doctors still feel threatened or aggravated, but instead of feeling that way, they should channel that frustration to show the males that we can do it as well as, or even better, than male doctors. 

INTERVIEW LEE STEELE PHOTO LAURA SÁNCHEZ

Three hand-carved chairs sit in ceremonial silence to hammock our weight when daily rituals remind our bodies of simple needs. And as the world revolves, the flor de mayo trees bask in scented air, telling our story: We are three women steeped in the supple spiral shapes of Life. — Claire Joysmith

YUCATÁN MAGAZINE | ISSUE 8

INSPIR ING WOMEN

Juanita Stein AFTER OPENING HER BOOKSTORE, THE FORMER MAGAZINE EDITOR IS ON A MISSION TO BUILD COMMUNITY

hen Juanita Stein talks about Between the Lines, it is clear that her bookstore has been a labor of love many years in the making. “The idea originally popped into my head about 12 years ago. From the beginning I have wanted my store to be a space where people could disconnect from digital life and find community,” she says. Architects Salvador Reyes Ríos and Josefina Larraín Lagos had told Juanita of their plans to restore their building on Calle 62 and convert it into Plaza Carmesí. “I made my business plan back in 2012 and we knew we wanted to work together, but the timing wasn’t quite right. When I bumped into them again in 2019, they were just completing the renovation and the financial gods were smiling on me,” she says. This allowed Juanita to continue as editorial director at the venerable Yucatán Today. “I am glad the bookstore evolved later because I still hadn’t fulfilled all my goals at the magazine. I’m happy I had 11 years there. It was where I was meant to be.” Between the Lines opened March 4, 2020. And we all know what followed shortly after. In response, Juanita sold online and offered home deliveries. “My first year wasn’t what I expected it to be, but I powered through it and discovered that bookselling is actually a relatively good business to be in during a pandemic,” she says. Now, Between the Lines is thriving and living its original vision. Part of her community outreach is a wish-list tab on its website that allows customers to purchase books for the Merida English Library, with which she collaborates often. Juanita has advice for women who want to turn their passion into business. “First, think what it is that you see for yourself in your wildest dreams. Put it on paper without thinking about finances. Next, make a mission statement of what you want to achieve. Only after all that should you think about the logistics. Make a business plan and get the expertise of those who have gone before you. At every stage ask yourself if this fulfills your vision and mission. Every decision must be aligned with those two intangibles. And lastly, I would say, it’s never too late to start, and I am proof of that.” 

BY MAGGIE ROSADO van der GRACHT PHOTO LAURA SÁNCHEZ

Juanita Stein contributes to Yucatán Magazine’s book column, which appears on Page 13. ISSUE 8 | YUCATÁN MAGAZINE

Anakaren Rodríguez IT SEEMS LIKE THE ENERGETIC BASSIST APPEARS TO BE PLAYING AT EVERY CLUB AT THE SAME TIME —BUT WE’RE ASSURED THAT’S JUST AN ILLUSION

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nside a Centro bar, Anakaren Rodríguez takes a sip of her drink and tells us that music was never really a choice for her because it runs through her veins. A daughter and granddaughter of musicians, Anakaren was 4 when she took an interest in music. It happened when her family was at a Buddhist temple, where she was quickly drawn to the triangle. During her teenage years, she began studying music while concentrating on the guitar and bass. “In the beginning, I was quite shy, but I really looked up to a local musician, Ligia Cámara, who was not only amazing at her craft but, like me, did not really fit the mold of what most people figured a female musician should look or act like,” Anakaren says. Anakaren started out playing the guitar for local audiences with her first YUCATÁN MAGAZINE | ISSUE 8

band, Fresas Descompuestas, which stayed together for four years. During this time, she also took an interest in the instrument she is now best known for, the bass. Anakaren continued to make a name for herself with several local bands and, before she knew it, found herself in high demand. “It is then that I realized, wow I could actually make a living doing this,” Anakaren says with a wide grin. When the pandemic hit, Anakaren suddenly found herself out of work, but instead of sitting idly by, she decided to take a cellphone repair course, which has been her side hustle ever since. Now that bars and other venues have opened up again, Anakaren can be seen and heard jamming with several bands, including local favorites like Swinga tu

Madre, Mezcabanda, and La Sorora del Caribe. Anakaren has become so prolific that many of her colleagues joke that she seems to have the power to be in more than one place at a time as “the bassist of all of Mérida’s bands.” In 2021, Anakaren formed a band — made up entirely of women — called Las Infiltradas. The band’s lineup is Cristina Trujillo on voice and guitar, Sofía Mitchell on the saxophone, María Fernanda Chí and Andrea Santoyo on percussion, and Anakaren of course, on bass. Like all of Anakaren’s bands, Las Infiltradas ooze with energy and never fail to get audiences on their feet. “Music is what I love, it is what I was born to do and nothing, not even a pandemic can keep me off stage for long.”  37

INSPIR ING WOMEN

Kimberly DavinDeGraff SOMEONE NEEDS HELP. ANOTHER PERSON HAS RESOURCES TO SPARE. IN RIDES THE MATCHMAKER.

“Kimmy Suki” at the Yucatán Polo Club, where the annual Chicas for Charity event that she founded raises money for people in need.

first met Kimberly Davin-DeGraff several years ago, after she had established a Facebook group called “Yucatán Giving.” Also known as Kimmy Suki, the central-California native has a gift for rallying the community to help people in need. Someone needs a wheelchair? A refrigerator? Medical assistance? Kimberly would manage to match that person with someone ready to lend or donate a wheelchair, refrigerator, or medical assistance. Kimberly came to Mérida with her ex-business partner, who is also her ex-husband, nearly 20 years ago to work a one-year stint in Yucatán in a chiropractic clinic and to learn Spanish. “We came with our two children, one cat, and one dog. We all fell in love with Mérida and never left,” she told us in a 2015 interview. In her younger years, she was a firefighter, then an EMT, then a paramedic. In Mexico, she and her ex-partner would go to the pueblos and give free chiropractic adjustments and physical therapy to injured people who couldn’t come into the city. Her passion outside of YGO is horses, and even there,

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Kimberly found a way to connect that to fundraising for good causes. Her Chicas for Charity event, held since 2016 at the Yucatán Polo Club, is a major undertaking — but one that engages one community and benefits several others. By 2018, the effort was turned officially into a non-governmental organization, Yucatán Giving Outreach AC, a registered charity that systematically delivers relief to the people who need it most. It is headquartered in Itzimná, where a charity thrift shop by the same name is always busy. Through YGO, 12,000 bags of food and clothing went to impoverished villages after storms Cristobal and Gamma and hurricane Delta. They have found housing for young people who have aged out of the orphanage. A shabby rest home for the elderly was given assistance. Women and children have been guided out of violent domestic situations. Then there are the art and English classes and holiday parties. “I have always served people in some form or another,” she says. ygo.mx ISSUE 8 | YUCATÁN MAGAZINE

Tatiana Echeverría Delgado AN IRON WILL PAYS OFF

atiana Echeverría Delgado studied economics in her native Cuba but says she was always an artist at heart. She and her husband, Urbi Álvarez Blanco, made their living as artisans in the city of Santa Clara but wanted to offer their child a better life than the Communist island could offer. “Living under a totalitarian regime is extremely difficult, especially as an artist. It was not easy to leave, but we knew it was the right decision,” Tatiana recalls. Tatiana, Urbi, and their son made their way to Mexico via Nicaragua in 2019. Those first months were particularly difficult on the young family as their migratory situation was yet to be resolved, and neither Tatiana nor Urbi were able to work. Urged on by Tatiana’s insistence that something had to give, the couple invested their savings in tools to start a small iron workshop. After doing a few small jobs for construction sites, Tatiana spotted a niche in the market for pretty ironwork plant holders. Her first big hit was a design inspired by a likeness of Frida Khalo, which she sold through social media. As time went on, Tatiana and Urbi came up with new designs and uses for their skills and now commission jobs ranging from small decorative pieces to full ironwork murals. Before long, Tatiana decided to pursue artistic ironwork full-time with the support of her husband, who also contributes to their growing catalog of designs. “We are so lucky to have ended up here in Mérida. As immigrants, we face challenges that most people will never understand, but for the most part, the people of this city have welcomed us with open arms,” she says. The Echeverría Delgado family is pursuing Mexican citizenship and envision spending the rest of their lives in Mérida. “Life is not always easy, but if you are willing to work hard and learn, you will realize that all obstacles are only in your mind,” says Tatiana with a big smile as she slides down her protective gear to begin a new piece.  YUCATÁN MAGAZINE | ISSUE 8

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INSPIR ING WOMEN

Fernanda Toler

orn and raised in Brazil, Fernanda Toler moved to Denver in her 20s, where she found herself in “a pattern of too much work.” Then, at 33, she was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer requiring chemotherapy and radiation. What she did next possibly saved her life. She found support from her family back in Brazil. “My mom was the chef, you know. Every time I did chemo, I would have very nutritious, most delicious food,” Fernanda says. Two aunts, one of whom was a nurse, ensured she had everything she needed. She engaged in active, outside activities, like singing and dancing lessons — something that’s generally recommended to divert your mind. “I’m a different person,” Fernanda says. Now living in Yucatán, she sells real estate while running Nova Health and Wellness. Her network combines medical professionals, nutritionists, and holistic practitioners, a response to what she criticizes as an overly compartmentalized health system. She combines both careers with packages that can include help locating real estate. Her own airy and impeccable property in Santiago is newly built and has a roomy kitchen perfect for her cooking workshops. “For people who want to come on vacation ... we are going to have someone who’s going to teach you how to cook, and what to buy when you go grocery shopping,” Fernanda explains. Seven-day packages, which include a private rental home, are

Fernanda Toler at Santiago Park, where the market fills her fruit bowl.

customized to fit the individual. A woman over 40, for example, will be set up with lab tests to check things like blood cell biometry, lipid and liver profiles, and ultrasound. That is accompanied by holistic work with an Ayurveda therapist, an hour-long full-body massage, two tours, a choice of activities such as yoga or workout, counseling, and a private chef or meal delivery. A complete package indeed. novahealthwellness.com

CARLOS ROSADO VAN DER GRACHT

A COMEBACK FROM CANCER SETS A NEW COURSE