With all of the drug gang violence in Mexico, I don't plan on visiting anytime soon.

i used to live in mexico, and its so easy to eat vegetarian!

that sounds like the most fantastic vacation ever! i'm so glad that it wasn't difficult to find food. i'm planning on traveling through europe at some point, and not just to the touristy places and i'm super nervous about being vegan and not starving. everything in this post looks so incredibly beautiful!!

Hi. I'm a Mexican vegetarian. I was born in guadalajara, Mexico and I love my country. I've been a vegetarian for more than 8 years now and it hasn't been difficult at all. Many of the typical dishes here have meat in them, but you can easily adapt them.
I feel sad about Thaler's comment, though. While it is true there's a lot of violence happening in my country at the moment, it's also true that it is an intenal matter. This means that the violence is between drugdealers and their enemies. I've never been a witness of any violent actions and I know visitors to our country don't face them either. The drugdealers are mad at our government because they are trying to get rid of them, not at the tourists nor the population. I really hope this will end soon and everyone will regain confidence in traveling to these beautiful and rich lands. If you visit Mexico, you will find we are warm people and thankful to all visitors. I'm speaking as a proud Mexican and a happy vegetarian :)
Thanks for your time.

If you do some research on the drug gang violence, you will notice that 99% of it does not involve the "tourist locations" of Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Ixtapa etc. There was one instance of a couple of tourists being killed in Puerto Vallarta but, it was acknowledged that they were in the drug business. I have been to Mexico ~7 times over the last 3 years with no problems and yes, the food is tasty and cheap....as they say, DON'T DRINK THE WATER!

Dear Amy,
I enjoyed what you wrote about being a vegan in Mexico.I am actually visiting in Mexico right now and I am so happy to find new vegan/vegetarian in the options in the supermarket and even a cruelty-free toothpastein specialized stores!
Thank you

I am with Cristy and Dough. I'm proudly mexican and vegetarian also. There is violence , I know , but usually it never happens any thing bad to normaly people or tourists, its yellow press.
Come tourists , to Mexico, food is healthy and delicious, beaches are beautiful and mexican people is usually warm, good and friendly.

are the tortillas made with lard though? im just a vegetarian but yeah. thats what i thought.

I was in Mexico last year, in Playa del Carmen, Tulum and Cozumel. My photos are not as stunning as your own, but proof that eating vegan in Mexico is so easy!

Mexican food highlights:
http://thevegangoodlife.blogspot.com/2009/01/good-vegan-eats-in-mexico.html

The vacation:
http://thevegangoodlife.blogspot.com/2009/01/dolores-alba-hotel-playa-del-karma.html

I encourage all vegan travelers to avoid the touristy spots (as you did) and go where the locals go. Most places are more than happy to accommodate you.

Happy traveling!

I agree, I live on the border with Mexico and I go across Mexico all the time. It is very common to have people living on the U.S. side going across to the restaurants :). In all my life I have never experienced that type of violence while I'm there whether on the on the border on in deeper Mexico. The drug dealer fights are between each other, not against civilians or tourism. But this I can assure you, if you are a vegetarian and have never tried the Mexican mangos, you don't know what you're missing :). They are juicy, soft, rich and buttery, and they are inexpensive too. I have been to many states in the US and still have never tried any mangos as good as these.

It is so easy to eat vegetarian while in Mexico. I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy your visit, specially if you visit the beaches as well. Because come on guys.... what vegetarian wouldn't enjoy in a summer day, laying under the shadow of a palm tree watching a bright blue sea of Cancun, eating nachos with mexican guacamole or grilled burritos, while drinking a chilled margarita and feeling the breeze of the sea ? In my experience... it feels awesome! And the food is cheap too, plus with the currency of the dollar with to the Mexican peso is even better! Cheap food, nice hotels, sea breeze, why not? we all deserve a vacation once in a while :).

The color of that guacamole is incredible - it is so bright and clean looking, you just know it is incredibly fresh and delicious.

And here I am with no avocados in the house. Ah well.

Cheers!

Hi I´m a mexican vegetarian and I really think that tourist have many veggan eating options in here ´cause many of the mexican tipical dishes are meat free and really delicious like quesadillas, sopes, guacamole..

How was the texture of your nopales tacos? I've had them grilled at a restaurant in DC (Oyamel), and let me tell you: not a fan. Absolutely divine in a salad though.

Mexican Food: most of it unconsciously vegetarian and delicious!
To all of you out there who are visiting our many lovely destinations in Mexico (whether its beaches, prehispanic sites, jungle and eco-adventure sites, cities, etc), here's a list of traditional, typical mexican food that is naturally vegetarian, so you don't need to go out of your way to get it. This is mostly found around the central states of the country. The northern states are more meat-eaters, but they do carry these dishes as well.

-Green/Red Chilaquiles (tortilla chips cooked in salsa)
-Enchiladas de mole with fresh cheese (instead of chicken filled)
-Beans (frijoles), whether refried or "charros" (whole-bean cooked). Just make sure it's bacon free
-Quesadillas (cheese-filled tortillas), with other extra ingredients like flor de calabaza (pumpkin flower soup), champiñones (fungus), cuitlacoche (another fungus), rajas con queso (poblano pepper with cheese)
-Tacos de nopal (as pictured, "cactus-like" plant in a tortilla
-A LOT of soups: pepper soups (chile poblano soup, with cheese), vegetarian pozole (available at Potzolcalli for example), fungus (champiñones) soup, tortilla soup, lenteja (lentil) soup -ask for no bacon-, calabaza-flower soup and many more
-Tamales, but only some: sweet (dulce, pink), rajas con queso (pepper and cheese), chipilin (found in Chiapas)
-Sopes/huaraches: tortilla dough fried in corn oil, spread with refried beans and topped with lettuce, cheese, cream and salsa...

And no, tortillas are not made with any kind of lard (it would make them expensive and it's one of the cheapest basic foods): the dough is made with corn flour and water, kneaded repeatedly, and "baked" in a special oven, like the ones used for pizza.

ENJOY!!!

(I'm officially hungry after finishing writing this post).

Delicious!
I actually have a blog called "Vegan in Mexico" here's the link

http://mty-vegan.blogspot.com/

Hi, I'm mexican and also a vegeterian... I agree with my mexican friends here :) Mexico is full of wonderful things and great dishes. Violence is usually between the drugdealers so it will NEVER happen to a tourist.
I have been living here in the US for 2 years (college and traveling) and i just have to say two thing...MEXICO ROCKS!!! plus food is better and healthier ;)

Mexican tortillas are not made with lard. They are made with nixtamal (lime soaked corn) and water. Those made at home and by small vendors contain no flour. I have learned to use the metate for grinding and it is a pleasure to make homemade tortillas. Please refer to Wikipedia to understand the dietary benefits of "nixtamal". The combination of beans and nixtamal is the perfect food for vegans, vegetarians and others who want to improve their hearts.

Again, regarding the wonderful Mexican corn tortilla. It is not made in an oven. An iron pan will do, or a steel plate on the fire.

Isn't it absolutely incredible? I just got back from there a month ago!

tofu scramble in méxico ?!
i thought that was impossible, haha..

well.. i've something to say about the list of delicious veggie mexican food that vero wrote down: great list, but mole paste, when thinned to make the sauce, is almost always thinned with chicken broth, so, beware.

anyway, you can buy mole paste and thin it yourself with water or veggie broth.

Mexican food can offer delicious alternatives for vegans. Try the tofu enchiladas! On the other hand resorts areas, specially the Cancun - Mayan Riviera corridor are safer than most metropolitan areas in the US.

i actually know someone from mexico who didn't eat meat that often until she moved to the u.s. with her husband.

Your story is great, awesome pictures too. I've been a vegan for over three years, and I've been living in Mexico for the past 10 months. The first months were the most difficult because I didn't know what products I could use. You know like when you first become vegan, and then with time you learn which brands are vegan friendly? it turns out I had to find vegan pasta, vegan bread, soy milk, etc. I can say it's easier now but I'm still bothered by the fact that I haven't found dairy substitutes like soy ice cream and soy cheese cream... Hopefully veganism becomes bigger in Mexico, so retailers pay more attention to us.

When you have been a vegan for a while, you will learn NOT to seek out the meat and dairy substitutes that are making the packaged food industry rich. Living in Mexico you will learn to eat tortillas and the incredible variety of beans available, which constitute a "perfect protein" in terms of nutrition. You will learn to cook the abundance of fresh vegetables on the market. You won't be looking for brands, because you will learn how to eat without resorting to packaged foods. Rather than hoping that the U.S. food industry imposes even more havoc on the nutritional habits of the Mexican people, hope that you can learn from them something of the old ways.

I agree with Diana. Learn to make foods that are not pre packaged. I think its great for pinch but there are so many foods you can get your nutrition from that are not in pre packaged items.
Homemade is still better for you too since homemade generally has no preservatives!
I'm glad I read these comments. I wasn't sure about the violence in Mexico and its made me stay away which is a shame because I can tell from pictures how beautiful a lot of areas of the country is. So thank you.
All the food in the pictures look wonderfully yummy.