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Mexican cooking is an interesting combination of the original Aztec food of the area, and the Spanish introduced styles of cooking. The conquistadores, upon arriving in what was then the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, which now lies beneath Mexico city itself, found the local diet consisted mostly of corn based dishes with herbs and chillies. Squash and beans were also frequently used in the preparation of dishes. Over time, the two cooking styles of the local Aztecs and the occupying Spanish were combined. We see the Spanish diet of beef, pork, chicken, rice, garlic and onions, combined with the Aztec influenced local produce such as maize, papaya, chilli, squash and beans.
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Modern day Mexican food is mostly based upon the traditions of the ancient Aztec and Mayan civilisations, mixed together with cooking techniques and ingredients introduced by the Spanish. A great example of this fusion would be Quesadilla, which are a corn of flour tortilla, with cheese, chicken, beef or pork. The general indigenous theme throughout Mexican food is the chilli pepper, and these types of foods are often extremely colourful, due to the large variety of vegetables used in their preparation.

There can also be found a smattering of Caribbean influenced cooking in Mexican food. Some of the local dishes from the states of Yucatan and Veracruz, display this quite plainly. We also find a few traces of French inspired cuisine, along with some Filipino influences.

If we consider the wide range of cooking styles that have been melded together, it is easy to see why Mexican food is considered to be some of the most unique in the world. However, we can still find pure traces of the original Aztec and Mayan cooking style; these are found in traditional dishes with such exotic ingredients as spider monkey, deer, rattlesnake and iguana.