El ahuautle en Atenco: retos y posibilidades en la recuperación de un recurso endémico para el turismo gastronómico

The ahuautle, as an endemic resource of the municipality of Atenco, in Mexico, has faced the loss of traditional practices in its cultivation, consumption, and commercialization. This is the result of not only economic problems but also, social, political, and environmental issues. Based on these considerations, this research aims to analyze the situation and challenges facing the ahuautle in its preservation as a gastronomic resource, as well as the conditions that limit its projection and use in the municipality. The methodology used is a case study – with an ethnographic approach, using in-depth interviews, semi-structured surveys, and participant observation, together with resource, heritage, and territory evaluation guides. These instruments were applied to a sample of key informants for collecting information, not only on the problems facing the conservation of the ahuautle, but also on the recovery of knowledge and techniques of cultivation, preparation, and consumption, as well as on the historical, cultural, and nutritional value of the ahuautle for the same region of the Texcoco lagoon, where this resource is located. The main findings underline there are a gradual loss of the ahuautle, its cultivation, and production, to the point of being today at the point of extinction. In order to revert it, the main proposals are aimed at recovering this resource to integrate it into gastronomic tourism activities, benefiting not only local families but also merchants and restaurateurs in the region, as well as representing an emblematic attraction for visitors. For this, co-responsible and committed intersectoral participation is necessary to establish agreements, actions, and programs that favor its recovery in an integral manner, with benefits for the economy and the municipal tourism-gastronomic identity.