Papalo, Guerrero, and the Cemita Poblana.

Papalo is a herb that falls under the designation of “quelite” (1). Quelites are (usually) wild herbs that are allowed to grow if they spontaneously sprout within the milpa or are collected from the wild. The term quelite is not limited to leafy herbs but also encompasses the flowers (2), roots (3), vines, stems (4) and seeds (5) of various plants (including trees)(6). Some quelites … Continue reading Papalo, Guerrero, and the Cemita Poblana.

Papaloquelite : The Butterfly Herb* (salsa recipe included)

*See Post : Papaloquelite : What’s in a name? Why “butterfly” herb? papalotl.Principal English Translation:a butterfly (see Molina and Karttunen); also, a person’s name (attested as male and possibly female) Alonso de Molina:papalotl. mariposa.Alonso de Molina, Vocabulario en lengua castellana y mexicana y mexicana y castellana, 1571, part 2, Nahuatl to Spanish, f. 79v. col. 2. Thanks to Joe Campbell for providing the transcription. Frances … Continue reading Papaloquelite : The Butterfly Herb* (salsa recipe included)

Festival for El Salvador

In early June, El Salvador was hit by Tropical Storm Amanda and tropical storm Cristobal in quick succession, causing deadly flooding and landslides across the country.Many communities have lost everything and are now living in shelters waiting for aid to arrive so they can survive.This happened when the country was under a long and strict quarantine, due to COVID-19. It deepened their poor socioeconomic situation, … Continue reading Festival for El Salvador