The objective of this review is to present an overview of some of the most commonly consumed artisanal Mexican cheeses, as well as those cheeses that show potential for a protected designation of origin. A description is given for each of these cheeses, including information on their distinguishing characteristics that makes some of them potential candidates for achieving a protected designation of origin status. This distinction could help to expand their frontiers and allow them to become better known and appreciated in other parts of the world. Due to the scarcity of scientific studies concerning artisanal Mexican cheeses, which would ultimately aid in the standardization of manufacturing processes and in the establishment of regulations related to their production, more than 40 varieties of artisanal cheese are in danger of disappearing. To preserve these cheeses, it is necessary to address this challenge by working jointly with government, artisanal cheesemaking organizations, industry, academics, and commercial partners on the implementation of strategies to protect and preserve their artisanal means of production. With sufficient information, official Mexican regulations could be established that would encompass and regulate the manufacture of Mexican artisanal cheeses. Finally, as many Mexican artisanal cheeses are produced from raw milk, more scientific studies are required to show the role of the lactic acid bacteria and their antagonistic effect on pathogenic microorganisms during aging following cheese making.

Indigenous peoples define themselves as communities, groups, and/or nations who pre‐existed the international nation‐state system and continue to survive as ethnic, religious, linguistic, and/or cultural minorities in the countries they inhabit. Indigenous leaders, human rights advocates, and scholars emphasize that they are the cultural inheritors and descendants of the original communities who first inhabited the Americas, Africa, Asia, Oceania, and northern Europe before the onset of colonization or prior to the large‐scale settlement of nation‐states. These communities have largely remained distinct from national majorities and are often disenfranchised from national governments and/or other decision‐making structures. The term “indigenous peoples” at the international level has become common shorthand for referring to all communities around the world that may share one of the characteristics previously noted. While indigenous peoples worldwide are ethnically and nationally distinct, and while there is a broad diversity of indigenous traditions, experience, and modes of self‐definition, their common defining characteristic is that their communities pre‐existed the nation‐state system.

No abstract