A kernel of corn at the heart of a Mexican corn plant; the corn plant at the heart
of the corn tortilla; the corn tortilla at the heart of Mexican culture
photo © Eva Boynton

The Delicious Taste of Cultural Heritage

I’ll be the first to admit, I’m a corn tortilla addict. At first I was skeptical.

My travel companions from Mexico would let loose disappointed sighs when a beautiful meal lacked their favorite flying saucers made of corn. I would think to myself, “What’s the hubbub over tortillas?” After my first weeks in Mexico, though, I was hooked.

Corn tortillas are the superheroes of a Mexican meal. They can magically expand a few morsels of food into a full meal. They add flavor and richness to daily life. And the process of making delicious tortillas connects people to Mexico’s cultural heritage and traditions as well as to each other.

Born in a Tortillería

The life of this Mexican superhero begins in the tortillería (tortilla shop). Found in every neighborhood, the bustling shops spice up the streets with sound, smell, and flavor. They are a place of congregation, a daily interaction between neighbors.

It is impossible to walk through the streets of a town in Mexico without running into a tortilla shop.
© Eva Boynton

If the tortillas are made by machine, the crunch and whine of turning gears can be heard from several blocks away. If they are made by hand, the rhythmic pat-patting of hands flattening the dough fills the street. Each method douses the air with a corn perfume.

City or small town, life in Mexico is life with tortillas.

A Family Affair

One such tortillería is Tortijocha in Huatulco, a city in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. José Alfredo Lavariega Canseco (or Jocha, for short) began the business in his home, selling tortillas handmade by his wife.

Jocha (second from the left) stands proudly in front of his tortilla shop
with his workers and family.
© Eva Boynton

The more they sold, the more Jocha recognized the possibility of a larger enterprise. The front of his house transformed into Tortijocha.

Jocha’s tortilla machine carries the name of
Fausto Celorio, who mechanized the
tortilla-making process in the late 1940’s.
© Eva Boynton

But selling handmade tortillas is not always profitable since they cannot be mass produced.

Jocha explains, “They are very tasty, handmade tortillas, but I was interested in doing business.”

Consequently, someone else was introduced into the family business. Her name—Máquina Celorio.

The early days of using the machine were pure experimentation. Jocha’s first tortillas were a tad crispy, but that did not spoil the family’s excitement. They celebrated around the dinner table with a stack of charred, machine-made tortillas and a home-cooked meal.

Man and machine at work.
The dough—a mixture of ground-up corn kernels soaked in limewater—is pushed
through a funnel, sliced into tortillas, and moved along three griddles to cook.
© Eva Boynton

Once again, the tortilla showed its superpowers, bringing a family together in a common enterprise. Tortijocha quickly began producing and selling stacks of identically cut and cooked tortillas that brought other families together in communal feasts.

The Cultural Connection

“Is there a difference between your tortillas and those from other tortilla shops?” I asked.

Jocha replied, “Our tortillas are the best because we make tortillas with real corn. . . .We try to have flavor and texture in the tortillas. We want to have quality.”

The real corn Jocha is talking about comes from using maíz (corn) purchased from local farmers in Huatulco. Tortijocha soaks and grinds the corn instead of buying a pre-made mixture from a store.

Ears of corn, soon to become tasty tortillas
© Gabriela Díaz Cortez

Jocha claims that the taste of “100% pure maíz” (found on their store sign) creates stronger connections among land, plant, farmer, and city customer. The connections date back to the ancestors of Mexico’s modern culture who grew some 59 types of indigenous corn.

Maíz grows throughout the mountains and valleys of Mexico.
© Gabriela Díaz Cortez

Corn tortillas are ingrained in Mexico’s identity for reasons beyond the ingredients—the patting together of dough is part of Mexico’s cultural heritage that has been passed down across centuries.

Many families and tortillerías make tortillas by hand today.
© Frank Kolvachek

Why does this traditional way of making tortillas continue? Perhaps because it is tradition, or perhaps it is because handmade tortillas are more delicious, crafted and cooked on a different kind of grill—crafted by a person rather than sliced and delivered by a machine.

Whether made by machine or by hand, however, the corn tortilla maintains its superhero status, connecting a modern-day culture to its roots.

Oh, I See the Superpowers of the Corn Tortilla

Maintaining traditions across centuries. Bringing people together. As if these superpowers weren’t sufficient, I discover the daily power of tortillas. They go with almost every meal in Mexico, serving as the main ingredient, utensil, or sponge to soak up the rich flavors of a dish.

Dig in!
© Eva Boynton

I imagine myself traveling with a utility belt full of tortillas for every occasion. Need silverware? Pull out a tortilla. Missing a napkin, tablecloth, meal extender, flavor enhancer, or community builder? Look to the little tortilla.

As Jocha told me, “The corn tortilla is the most important thing on the table.” That’s because it’s a Mexican superhero, full of good taste and cultural heritage, connected to Mexico’s rich history and ancestral cuisine.

Thank you, Jocha, for the interview and the delicious tortillas.

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