Turkeys, deer and a 250-pound pig were procured. The menus had been planned well in advance, from main courses and breakfasts to snacks for the crew of dozens of helpers who assisted in the food and party prep.

The men of the village prepared three large pits for the pibil (a Mayan word referring to a variety of dishes cooked underground or under earth) in the backyard of the man affectionately known as Pinter, the village chief and neighbor of Alejandra´s grandparents.

They were filled with branches of local trees and covered with large stones. When the coals of the wood cooked down, and the stones impossibly hot, meat and pots were placed directly on to the stones to cook.

They were covered with the same leaves that were shading us from the 90-degree morning sun, the large fronds of Kitinché and Ya'ax Niik trees, and then covered with burlap and earth.

Dishes were left to slowly cook over coal and enveloped by dense, humid and aromatic smoke.

The first appetizer of the meal was a unique preparation known as dzik, made from shredded deer previously cooked for two hours directly on the hot stones, with cilantro, radish and cabbage bound with lime juice and served with freshly fried tortilla chips.

