Comic: The history behind the carnitas taco - Los Angeles Times

Comic: Can we still love the carnitas taco considering its colonizer history?

Drawing of a taco

(Señor Gavel / For De Los )

By Señor Gravel

Jan. 23, 2024 8:21 AM PT

Do you think that our Latinidad can fit inside a tortilla? In this comic, Señor Gravel AKA Cascajo explores our ancient history and the mestizo legacy encapsulated in one of the most popular and flavorful tacos. ¡Buen provecho!

Does this taco define our identity?

It is said that in 1521 the town of Coyoacan, Hernan Cortes ordered a feast to honor his men.

They roasted pigs and used a local flatbread made out of corn. Spaniards named it tortilla

From the roasted pig rolld in tortillas and seasoned with "molli" a new mestizo delicacy was born: Tacos de carnitas.

Many historians consider that a myth. Tacos de carnitas as we know them were likely invented centuries after.

But not only Mexico embraced pork meat. Nowadays most Latin American countries have their own pork dishes.

Some radical Latin American nationalists claim that food like tacos de carnitas are a wrongful celebration of colonialism.

Colonialism was painful in many ways, but we ar also the result of that encounter between cultures.

Michoacan is considered the epicenter of the contemporary carnitas recipe that we all enjoy now.

Señor Gravel, a.k.a. Cascajo, is a Mexico City-born, L.A.-based illustrator and cartoonist. His work has been featured on album covers of cumbia musician Vetiver Bong, T-shirts for immigration rallies and the High Museum of Art, as well as in publications like Atlanta’s Mundo Hispánico, where he received several awards from the National Assn. of Hispanic Publications.

Sources: “Historia Verdadera de la Conquista de la Nueva España” by Bernal Díaz del Castillo

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