Category: Native Plants

Curanderismo, Herbs, History, Native Plants, The Kitchen

A Naturopathic View of the Aztec Diet : Part 2 : Appendix 2 : Chocolate Drinks

I briefly look at the masa based drink called atole in a couple of earlier Posts (1)(2) and I recommend you check these out for a little more context (culturally speaking). They’ll introduce you to the core ingredient (and arguably the basis of life in Mexico), the nixtamalised corn dough called masa, and it will introduce you to an archetypal piece of Mexican cooking equipment, … Continue reading A Naturopathic View of the Aztec Diet : Part 2 : Appendix 2 : Chocolate Drinks

Unknown's avatarnixtamal99Leave a comment
Curanderismo, Herbs, History, Native Plants, The Kitchen

A Naturopathic View of the Aztec Diet : Part 2 : Diet

“We must repeat it: Mesoamericans do not plant corn, Mesoamericans make cornfields. And they are different things because corn is a plant and the cornfield is a way of life. The cornfield is the matrix (womb) of Mesoamerican civilization. If we really want to preserve and strengthen our deep identity, not only agroecological but also socio-economic, cultural and civilizational, we must move from the corn … Continue reading A Naturopathic View of the Aztec Diet : Part 2 : Diet

Unknown's avatarnixtamal99Leave a comment
Herbs, Native Plants

Tzitziqui(litl)

The investigation into this quelite came about as a result of one of my favourite anise scented herbs, Pericón (Tagetes lucida) (1) which also just happens to be in one of my favourite genera (and Families too now that I think on it – family Asteraceae in case you wondered). Sorry, got side-tracked, it happens on occasion. Now, pericón is also colloquially known as “cloud” … Continue reading Tzitziqui(litl)

Unknown's avatarnixtamal99Leave a comment
Herbs, History, Native Plants

Cempasúchil and Popocatepetl

It is that time of year again. The days are waning, the nights are cooling (well they would be if I was Northern hemispherical) and my feeds are filling up with the autumnal imagery of this season of spirits. The boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead fluctuate and bleed into each other and we welcome the memories of those who have … Continue reading Cempasúchil and Popocatepetl

Unknown's avatarnixtamal99Leave a comment
Curanderismo, Herbs, Native Plants

Porophyllum iruyense

Porophyllum is a genus of phanerogamous (1) plants belonging to the family Asteraceae (2) . The pore-leaf family includes 101 described species and of these, only 27 are accepted. They are native subshrubs of the Americas. As their name suggests (4), their leaves often have large glands that produce aromatic oils that give off a strong odour. The large majority of these plants are used … Continue reading Porophyllum iruyense

Unknown's avatarnixtamal99Leave a comment
Herbs, History, Native Plants, The Kitchen

Prehispanic Drinks – Bate

The beverage, bate, is a traditional beverage of the state of Colima made from toasted and ground chan, beaten with water and sweetened with honey or a kind of molasses prepared from piloncillo, or hard brown sugar. The chan seed is an interesting pseudograin that hails originally from the Mexican state of Colima. Suchitlán is a small town around 20 kilometres outside of the state … Continue reading Prehispanic Drinks – Bate

Unknown's avatarnixtamal99Leave a comment
History, Native Plants

Xochipilli and the Zapote

I would like to look at some interesting information regarding a little known (to me) statue of Xochipilli that has recently been mentioned by two history related sites (1)(2) The Posts I speak of. via Tetzcoco Prehispánico on Facebook SCULPTURE OF XOCHIPILLI, HUEXOTLA. Image: Wilhelm Bauer 1901 – 1910 This beautiful tezontle (1) stone sculpture, from Huexotla (2), State of Mexico, measures 15.5 x 11 … Continue reading Xochipilli and the Zapote

Unknown's avatarnixtamal99Leave a comment
Herbs, History, Native Plants, The Kitchen

Ixchel and the Legend of Chepil

I have posted on the herb chipilin previously and noted both its culinary and medicinal uses. Check this out at Quelite : Chipilin : Crotalaria longirostrata I want to expand upon my original Post with some cultural background on the herb and a legend on the creation of the plant. Many plants have creation myths, usually involving death, violence and/or a tragic love story, and … Continue reading Ixchel and the Legend of Chepil

Unknown's avatarnixtamal99Leave a comment