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Hola mis tacitas!
It should be colder weather given we’re in November, but as of now it’s not and that feels unnatural. Yet, even if I don’t like how the weather is, I still think about what we eat during winter, such as pozole.
A friend recently came to me with a fact that I did not ask for, disguised as a fun fact:
“Hey! Did you know that pozole used to be made with humans?”
“What?”
“The Aztecs used human meat from the human sacrifices :)”
“….”
And now here I am, in a tunnel of research to make sure this isn’t an elaborate lie.
** Now before you keep on reading, keep in mind that I am not an expert on this, I did not do nearly as much research as I would have done for a paper. Please do not take this sole blog as fact. **
Let’s start with a timeline and the basics of food shall we?
So, the empire of the Aztecs lasted from around A.D. 1325 to 1519.
Staple foods during this time were maize, beans and squash. Mainly vegetables and fruits, so to speak, as well as fish and other game. This was allowed due to how the agriculture was done, as shown in the photo below:
Now that we have that established. Let’s talk about pozole.
How we love pozole. It’s such a comforting dish and so fun to make, especially if you’re making it with others, it really brings everyone together. You can call friends over and they’re immediately on their way because they know it’s gonna slap. My friends just seem to appear out of thin air.
It is known that usually we eat pozole on special occasions, such as the holidays or if family comes together or if you’re cold and you’re feeling like it. For us, that’s the thing, specifically if you live in a place that’s cold. It’s gotta be cold to eat pozole. It doesn’t hit the same if it’s hot out.
Interestingly enough, the Aztecs did the same thing. They also ate pozole during special occasions. Now we know pozole as the main meat being either chicken or pork. But as I learned not of my own volition, the Aztecs evidently used human meat. Now we might ask ourselves: “Why??”
It actually makes sense. After someone would be sacrificed, they would use that same person while making pozole as to use that person for a blessing in a sense. Perhaps blessing is not the right word, but its like that person that was sacrificed was for the purpose of the future of the empire, so that person is still important even after death.
When the Spaniards and conquistadores came, they loved pozole too. But that is when they started to change the Aztec empire to what they wanted, as we know because they came to conquest. They changed pozole from being made with human meat to pork since cannibalism became banned. Yet, it makes you think, since it’s been said that pork tastes close to human. Literally makes you think for a good minute.
This is what I have learned. I’m probably still going to do more research after this since I feel like I need more sources to get a complete, clearer picture. I strongly suggest you also do more research so you can get your facts straight.
Some links I used:
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