so this is called a cenote. it s a natural sinkhole. it s very unique to the yucatán peninsula. they were very sacred to the mayans. they believed that this was a passage to the underworld. the maya define the culture of yucatán. as one of the great civilizations in central america, their influence is everywhere. this is huge! their dna runs through every local dish. - [speaking spanish] - and their ancient ways are still a source of inspiration. - let s let it burn a little bit more, and. - more? - we grind. - i m eva longoria, born and bred in texas with mexican-american roots, which makes me a texican. i m exploring mexico to see how the people, their lands, and their past have shaped a culinary tradition as diverse as its 32 states.
- wave it towards you. - [laughs] - it smells amazing. is this what makes it black, is that char? - yeah. - yeah? and he really does mean burn the chili. [coughing] - yeah, yeah. [laughs] [coughing continues] are you guys ok? - [laughs] - is it just me? - let s let them burn a little bit more, and. - more? - we grind. - this goes against all my instincts. and now, we grind it? - yeah, let s go. - ok. - oh, my god. are we sure this is gonna taste good? - yeah, of course. [laughs] - and all of this is just for the flavoring. we haven t even started cooking yet. is this right? - yeah. - oh, yeah. the paste is coming. - yes. [laughs]
- oh, it s cold. it s cold. so this is called a cenote. it s a natural sinkhole. it s very unique to the yucatán peninsula. they were very sacred to the mayans. they believed that this was a passage to the underworld. the maya define the culture of yucatán. as one of the great civilizations in central america, their influence is everywhere. this is huge! their dna runs through every local dish. - [speaking spanish] - and their ancient ways are still a source of inspiration. - let s let it burn a little bit more, and. - more? - we grind. - i m eva longoria, born and bred in texas with mexican-american roots, which makes me a texican. i m exploring mexico to see how the people, their lands,
- the less hot. - the less hot. now, you can start smelling. - yeah. oh, it s smoking. - [laughs] - wave it towards you. - [laughs] - it smells amazing. is this what makes it black, is that char? - yeah. - yeah? and he really does mean burn the chili. [coughing] - yeah, yeah. [laughs] [coughing continues] are you guys ok? - [laughs] - is it just me? - let s let them burn a little bit more, and. - more? - we grind. - this goes against all my instincts. and now, we grind it? - yeah, let s go. - ok. - oh, my god. are we sure this is gonna taste good? - yeah, of course. [laughs] - and all of this is just for the flavoring. we haven t even started cooking yet. is this right? - yeah. - oh, yeah. the paste is coming.
is this what makes it black, is that char? - yeah. - yeah? and he really does mean burn the chili. [coughing] - yeah, yeah. [laughs] [coughing continues] are you guys ok? - [laughs] - is it just me? - let s let them burn a little bit more, and. - more? - we grind. - this goes against all my instincts. and now, we grind it? - yeah, let s go. - ok. - oh, my god. are we sure this is gonna taste good? - yeah, of course. [laughs] - and all of this is just for the flavoring. we haven t even started cooking yet. is this right? - yeah. - oh, yeah. the paste is coming. - yes. [laughs] - all right. i think i just pulled a muscle. - i think we are, yeah, just finished. amazing.