HE PRESENCE of the powerful ancient civilizations that once called this region home is felt in the dishes that are lovingly prepared in Oaxaca today. Oaxaca's Central Valley was one of the most fertile regions of the Americas, making it a place where civilizations could develop and prosper. Turkeys, corn, chiles, beans, and pumpkins were among the many plants and animals that were domesticated in the area.

After the Aztec empire fell to the Spanish in 1521, many aspects of life were Europeanized, and the cultivation of crops, and the preparation of food, reflected the events of the period, and are still evident today.

One of Oaxaca's most famed regional dishes is a thick, rich sauce known as mole, made from ingredients that bridge the gap between the old world and the new. Native peoples cooked with cocoa, squash, chiles and tomatoes. People from Spain, the Middle East and Asia brought ingredients such as raisins, almonds, cloves and sesame seeds. Complex and intriguing, mole is a true melting pot of flavor, one that reveals a delicious glimpse into the multi-faced cultural history of the region from which it emerged.