This photo was taken in Oaxaca, Mexico. Oaxaca is one of the 31 one states of the United States of Mexico. It is located in the southwestern part of Mexico and it has a beautiful coastline on the Pacific Ocean. Oaxaca is also rich in culture. The photo is in the open market and a woman can be seen pouring water into a mixture.

In the streets of Oaxaca, Mexico, open markets are common to find. Almost everything is made by hand or picked fresh from the garden. I explored Oaxaca on my own and as part of a private tour with Stephanie Schneiderman, Founder of Tia Stephanie Tours, cultural journeys to Mexico.

Here in the photo, a woman is seen making some sort of mixture. What she is actually creating is a drink called tejate. The main ingredients include flour, fermented cacao beans, sugar, mamey pits, and flor de cacao. All if which are ground together and mixed with water and stirred by hand. When poured in a cup, it can be seen that the flor de cacao floats on top of the liquid, making it seem as if a layer of foam is sitting on top. The color of the beverage turns to skin tone and the pastey foam is white. They taste is better than it looks.  The tejate is sweet and the flor de cacao had an interesting texture to it that is difficult to describe. It felt like a thick liquid foam of flour in my mouth. But the strange texture was no match for my stomach because after the first sip, I wanted more.  

I was lucky to capture this action shot of this woman pouring the water in the bowl and to try some of Mexico's traditional beverages.

Brianna Nema is a member of the Youth Travel Blogging Mentorship Program

Photo courtesy and copyright Brianna Nema