Catemaco tacos

Just what Mexico needs, I thought! - Another kind of taco!

But after driving about 20 miles (1 hour) from Catemaco on some beautiful country roads beyond San Andrés Tuxtla and eating about 15 delicious tacos, I learned why those particular tacos are famous around the northern Tuxtlas.

Cheerful, smiling young ladies line up their canastas (hand woven wicker baskets) on the central plaza of Tilapan, a former hacienda village down the Volcano San Martin slopes, at the edge of Rio Tepango and await the local tourist hordes. It is a limited menu. Chicken, beef or pork served on handrolled tortillas, dripping with a somewhat spicy and greasy sauce at 2.5 pesos each. A small store nearby sells soft drinks. (Bring your own hand washing water or dip into the nearby river).

The canasta operation stems from the former Tuxtlas railroad days, when Tilapan was a major stop on the road. The habit of selling tacos has continued to now mostly one way automobile tourists.