Ceremonial tortillas are served at festivities dedicated to a saint or as an offering for important visitors, showing respect and gratitude. They use the “muicle”, a plant with which a special ink is obtained that adorns the ceremonial tortillas.
The wooden molds for tortillas are highly appreciated among Otomi cooks, in fact they are inherited from mother to daughter and the older they are, the more valuable they are. The most valuable wood for this type of instrument is mesquite.
Each seal is different, depending on the celebration and the family. The most important is the Santa Cruz, the biggest festival in their community. Since the tradition of ceremonial tortillas began to spread, more stamps with different insignia have been produced that can even be obtained for sale.
It is very important to bless the comal ( cooking pan) in which the tortillas are going to be made. Traditionally, a dough doll is made that takes care that everything goes well, free of evil spirits. When the tortilla is going to be turned for the first time, it is shaped on the base that has the seal and the ink, and it is returned to cooking to finish it.
Preparing them represents a connection with the energies of the universe and the beliefs that resulted from combining Christianity with the Otomi spirit. Each element has a religious meaning, such as the crackling of the firewood where the tortillas are prepared, which are the murmurs of the souls that observe how they are cooked.
