The Life of the Taco

The origin

There are a few theories about where the taco originated, With the Aztec creating the Maize, there are some folktales as to them eating something along the same lines of the tacos that are eaten today. Now the word taco derives from the dialect of Aztec word ‘Tlaloc’ meaning “half or in the middle”, referring to how the taco looks. Though, according to Jeffrey M. Pilcher, a professor of history at the University of Minnesota, the taco originates from the mines of Mexico in the 1700’s. When the word taco meant a paper wrapped around gunpowder like the taco we know today. With so many different ideas of where the taco originated, it would be better if we just fast forward to the history to the time period that is more documented.

Taco in Mexico

The stories of the taco growing were always very similar. From my Grandma to my Great-grandma they always said tacos were something that was a laborers food. “A food that was very easy and fast to make, and cheap, very cheap.” My grandma would tell me stories about how tacos was a food that brought pueblos/small towns together, “a typical party food.” Because there are so many different kinds of tacos, each tacos helped identify regions of Mexico.

Tacos in the U.S.

With the US southwest creating lots of mining and agriculture work in the 1900’s and the Mexican Revolution, it invited lots of Mexican laborers/ citizens. According to Dr. Carrasco, Ethnic Studies professor at Santa Barbara City College states that in the early 1900’s up to 1 million Mexican came into the United States. With the exodus of so many Mexicans coming to the United States, came the introduction of Taco to the States which for changed the world we know today.