![[ants]](images/chicatanes.jpeg)
One sure sign of the rainy season is the flight of the chicatanas, huge
flying ants of the Atte Mexicana family, which leave their nests in
droves, just after the first rains. They are attracted to the light
and sometimes you'll find swarms of them on your patio or yard in the
early morning.
People rush around collecting them on the beach or on open land. Many homes leave lights burning over a bucket of water, so they can scoop them out and throw them on the clay griddle comal, because the chicatana is a highly prized delicacy.
In fact, the gusto and joy which they bring to the gathering of chicatanas suggests there's more here than enthusiasm for another insect-based protein source. This arrival of the ants, a timeless ritual of the Natural World, was a sign of the change of the season, the coming of the rain. It was time to plant the sacred corn. The collective anxiety was relieved: life would go on, the cycle would continue. Ingesting the chicatanas assured and made them a part of this life cycle,
Food Notes: The heads and wings are removed, only the plump bellies are used. They're roasted with a little salt and used in various ways: Ground up with roasted chili pajarito or chile de agua into a paste for tortillas; fried with some lard and chilis, it forms the basis of a mole sauce for beef or pork.
Book Notes: Nelson Reed's, Caste War of the Yucatan, has been re-released. It is a compelling
history of an 1840's messianic uprising by
the Maya that spread so quickly, they gained control of the entire
Yucatan Peninsula and laid siege to Campeche. In a pivotal moment, a
swarm of chicatanas was spotted. The Mayans quietly withdrew, returned
home to plant their corn and were shortly after hunted down and
slaughtered. Some escaped to Quintana Roo, where the author located
their descendants, ready to do it again, in the 1960s.