And 70 years after independence, india is still a diverse, ever evolving assortment of cultures, creeds, religions and languages. Heading off the well worn tourist path, were on a journey which spans this vast subcontinent from east to west. Travelling from one of the driest places on earth. It is quite incredible, the sand. Its just crystal, hard cystals. White salt. You can probably taste it. To one of the wettest. These are areas really for the adventurous traveller. This isnt india on tap. Im on a quest to find out how history, religion and politics have shaped india. And also, meet the people who call this intriguing and sometimes overwhelming country home. Its going to be an amazing journey. For thousands of years, india found its riches and influence through international trade. At the heart of this enterprise was the sea. And the state of gujarat, with a thousand miles of coastline, served as a Shipping Gateway to africa, arabia and beyond. This is as far west as you can get in
- 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, and their past have shaped a culinary tradition as diverse as its 32 states. i don t think i ve ever seen an avocado this big. - here in yucatán, there are so many great ingredients. - with searingly hot weather all year round, time moves at a slower pace in yucatán. - [speaking maya
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. i don t think i ve ever seen an avocado this big. - here in yucatán, there are so many great ingredients. - with searingly hot weather all year round, time moves at a slower pace in yucatán. - [speaking mayan] - when it s taken hundreds of years to build the pyramids, waiting a day for y
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. i don t think i ve ever seen an avocado this big. - here in yucatán, there are so many great ingredients. - with searingly hot weather all year round, time moves at a slower pace in yucatán. - [speaking mayan] - when it s taken hundreds of years to build the pyramids, waiting a day for y
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. i don t think i ve ever seen an avocado this big. - here in yucatán, there are so many great ingredients. - with searingly hot weather all year round, time moves at a slower pace in yucatán. - [speaking mayan] - when it s taken hundreds of years to build the pyramids, waiting a day for your dinner to cook is no big deal. - eight h