Humans of La Manzanilla - Linda and The Metate

Posted by David Dagoli on January 15, 2015, 2:47 pm
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We borrowed a metate from Linda, our housekeeper Ludy's sister-in-law. A metate, pronounced [mah -TAH-tay], is an ancient mortar used for grinding seeds and corn by Mesoamerican cultures. The metate is like a molcajete, made from volcanic rock. This one has belonged to Ludy's mother Irene since she was 18. Irene is running the restaurant and umbrella business at the mouth of the crocodile lagoon. Apparently, the texture achieved when using a metate to grind corn for tortillas, or seeds and tomatoes for mole, is much better than you get from using an electric blender. This photo was taken at Linda's house near the arroyo, with her son Pepe junior, and a couple of girls she is looking after. The metate is on the ground in front, minus the oblong grinding stone.

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