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Cuchamás (green caterpillars)
The dried cuchamás (green caterpillars) represent more to the people of Zapotitlán than a mere grub. They are a generations-old source of income for those who pick the caterpillars from green shrubs in desertlike towns and sell them at markets. This trade has existed for centuries between the Popolocas and the Nahuatl peoples of the region. Today the finger-length caterpillars are collected in Zapotitlán Salinas to be sold 100km away in the market at San Sebastián Zinacatepec in Puebla. There they are measured in clay scoops, and are a crispy fast snack.