The air in Santa Cruz Acalpixca, one of Xochimilco’s 14 original villages, carries a scent that is both familiar and exotic – the sweet, lingering aroma of caramelized fruits and vegetables. Here, amidst the bustling streets and vibrant markets, a culinary tradition centuries old is not only being preserved but also ingeniously reimagined.
Don Luis Cortés Ramírez: A Master of Sweet Innovation
At the heart of this sweet revolution is Don Luis Cortés Ramírez, a third-generation artisan whose Dulcería Juanita is a testament to both heritage and innovation. With 42 years in the craft, Don Luis, alongside his wife Juana Alarcón, transforms ordinary produce into extraordinary confections. His most exotic creation? A caramelized poblano chili, a daring blend of the traditional and the unexpected.
“In our village, we are artisans of traditional sweets. We inherited this tradition from our ancestors,” Don Luis explains, his hands, weathered by decades of work, gesturing towards trays of glistening candies. “But at the same time, we never stop innovating, creating new things.”
From Pre-Hispanic Roots to Modern Delights
The art of crystallizing fruits and vegetables dates back to pre-Hispanic times in the chinampera region of Xochimilco. Indigenous communities discovered this technique as a way to preserve their harvests. With the arrival of new ingredients during the Conquest, the repertoire expanded, giving rise to a diverse array of sweets. Today, alongside classic crystallized tuna, xoconostle, sapote, guava, and papaya, one can find pumpkin, apple, pear, orange, fig, sweet potato, pitaya, mango, kiwi, banana, peach, pineapple, and coconut – a sugary kaleidoscope of flavors.
Don Luis vividly recalls his grandmother Florentina, who would travel by tram to the Mercado de Jamaica to sell their handmade sweets. “Before, there were no shops; we sold on the avenue. Grandma Florentina used to say that the tram passed nearby, and she would get on it to go all the way to the Mercado de Jamaica to sell the sweets,” he recounts, a nostalgic smile playing on his lips.
The Craft: A Labor of Love and Patience
The process of creating these crystallized delights is a meticulous and time-consuming one. Don Luis learned the craft from his grandmother, mastering the techniques for sweet potatoes, pumpkins, figs, and chayotes. Yet, it’s the spirit of experimentation that truly sets the artisans of Santa Cruz Acalpixca apart.
“Once my wife and I took over the business, we started innovating with other fruits and vegetables,” he says. “That’s how cucumber, nopal, kiwi, and orange sweets came about.”
There’s no manual for these new creations; it’s all about trial and error. Each fruit requires a different approach depending on its consistency. Softer fruits, for instance, are hardened with lime. “Lime is used to give the fruits a harder consistency so they don’t burst. They are perforated and placed in lime until a kind of adhesive layer forms,” Don Luis explains.
Other fruits are boiled. Subsequently, both boiled and lime-treated fruits undergo the “honeying” or “drunkening” process, where they are immersed in boiling honey, with the honey being constantly changed. “The process is very long, a minimum of 12 hours of work,” he reveals. Some sweets, like pumpkin or sweet potato, can take between 8 and 10 days to prepare, requiring extended resting periods.
The Unexpectedly Sweet: Chilies, Onions, and Nopales
Through these intricate techniques, artisans transform unlikely candidates into sugary treats. Cucumbers, nopales, chayotes, and carrots, typically associated with savory dishes, find new life as candies. Onions, for example, are desalted, chopped, and repeatedly honeyed to achieve their sweet transformation.
At Dulcería Juanita, the poblano chili is a true showstopper. First, it’s desalted and deseeded to remove its heat. Then, it undergoes the lime and honey treatment. Finally, Don Luis fills the chili with coconut and adorns it with a pecan, creating a sweet and subtly spicy masterpiece.
The use of chili in Mexican confectionery is not new. Don Luis illustrates this by describing the preparation of sweet and spicy tamarind. “To prepare tamarind, first you shake it, put it in hot water, knead it, and add sugar. Some only have sugar, but others have salt, lemon, and chili added to make them spicy. Some tamarinds have ground chili or piquín chili,” he details.
Don Luis also crafts the chili-infused chamoy for micheladas, a popular savory drink, further showcasing the versatility of chili in Mexican sweets.
The 45th Crystallized Sweet Fair: A Celebration of Tradition
The annual Feria del Dulce Cristalizado (Crystallized Sweet Fair) in Santa Cruz Acalpixca is a vibrant celebration of this unique culinary heritage. In 2026, the fair marks its 45th edition, running from July 17th to July 26th at Plaza Lázaro Cárdenas.
“At the fair, you’ll find all kinds of sweets and snacks: candied walnuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, cocadas, apples with chamoy or caramel, alegrías, etc.,” Don Luis proudly states. The fair also features dozens of varieties of crystallized fruits, as well as milk fudge, amaranth churritos, borrachitos, and honey and chocolate wafers.
Don Luis emphasizes the importance of supporting these traditional artisans. “It’s important that people come to see our products and support us so that this continues to be passed down and the roots of our town are not lost. Nowadays, in stores and supermarkets, there are sweets that are already industrially processed, but I think it’s much better to eat an artisanal sweet than an industrialized one.”
Dulcería Juanita, located at Av. Tenochtitlán 1814, Santa Cruz Acalpixca, Xochimilco, CDMX, welcomes visitors daily from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM, offering a taste of this rich and evolving tradition.
Source: https://www.chilango.com/noticias/dulces-tipicos-mexicanos-fruta-y-verdura-cristalizada-santa-cruz-acalpixca/
