Corn and tortilla: Livelihood of the Mexican

Legends dating back to the pre-Hispanic era recount that the gods created people from corn. A substance that makes humans, a daily sustenance, corn has since held a sacred place in the collective psyche of the Mexican, particularly in one of its most versatile expressions: the tortilla.

The centuries have passed and this divine food is still with us. There is no Mexican house or table where the tortilla is not present.

Whether to accompany dishes, as the main container of a guiso (stew), even for a taquito (small taco) with salt in the line of the tortilla shop, the tortilla also has a prominent place in Mexican gastronomy because it is a nutritious food and rich in vitamins.

At first glance, a bean taco with chili would seem like a very simple food. However, not only does this dish contain three key ingredients of the Mexican diet, it is also a combination rich in vitamins, protein and minerals, an easily accessible dish that nourishes all sectors of the population equally.

Perhaps that is why our ancestors, aware of the wealth that corn offers, thought we were made of such a changing, living seed.

There's a reason why we are children of corn, the divine incarnate, one with the gift that the gods gave us in the fields and in corn. The tender teeth don't stop transforming, ground under the metate (mealing stone), then in breathtaking alchemy becomes dough—the masa dough—and from there to the tortilla and finally, the key ingredient of hundreds of dishes.

Tacos, enchiladas, flautas (rolled tacos), tostadas (toasted tortillas), chilaquiles (tortilla chips), quesadillas, tlayudas (toasted tortillas), chalupas (crunchy tortillas), pastel azteca (tortilla casserole) and soups, even nachos, the list goes on. The tortilla, so simple and as simple as it seems, does not fail to find ways to be the guest of honor at the Mexican tables.

Celebrities, housewives, office workers, laborers, workers, farmers, people of all ages and all walks of life enjoy a good taco or tortilla however it comes.

Corn and tortilla are such a part of us, Mexicans, that we also find references in works of art, photographs and songs.

Nor can we forget our sayings that allude to this food. It would seem that we don't stop "putting cream on our tacos," but in reality, the central place for this food in Mexican gastronomy is not in vain.

As simple as it is, the tortilla, the ultimate expression of corn, is as nutritious as it is multifaceted.

It could be said, finally, that its nature is a reflection of the kaleidoscopic Mexican society.

It makes a lot of sense to recognize us, Mexicans, as children of corn.