|Part of a series on the| Mexican cuisine is a style of food
which is primarily a fusion of indigenous Mesoamerican cooking
with European, especially Spanish, cooking developed after the
Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. The basic staples remain
the native corn, beans and chili peppers but the Europeans
introduced a large number of other foods, the most important of
which were meat from domesticated animals (beef, pork, chicken,
goat and sheep), dairy products (especially cheese) and various
herbs and spices. While the Spanish initially tried to impose
their diet on the country, this was not possible and eventually
the foods and cooking techniques began to be mixed, especially
in colonial era convents. Over the centuries, this resulted in
various regional cuisines, based on local conditions such as
those in the north, Oaxaca, Veracruz and the Yucatan Peninsula.
Mexican cuisine is highly tied to the culture, social structure
and its popular traditions, the most important example of which
is the use of mole