Where does the tradition of pozole come from?

One of the most representative and delicious dishes of Mexican food is undoubtedly pozole.With chopped onion, chili, oregano, radishes, lettuce, plenty of lime, and made with chicken, meat, vegetables, or however you prefer, pozole is the dish that cannot be missing from the table of Mexicans, especially in September, the patriotic month. But have you ever wondered where this tradition comes from?The word pozole is a derivation of the Nahuatl pozolli: potzonalli, apotzontli, which mean foam or foamy. In its origins, it was a ritual dish of the Mexicas and was consumed during Nahua ceremonies to Xipe Totéc: Our Lord the Flayed One. Between the years 1325 and 1521, it was prepared with the flesh of sacrificed prisoners during the celebration and was given a ceremonial use, as it was served only to nobles or priests.Xipe Totéc was a Mexica deity associated with war, corn, and plant renewal. To shell the corn, it had to be flayed and stripped of its husks. Thus, in the same way, to prepare pozole, the grains of corn called cacahuacintle had to be flayed.To achieve this, the grains were soaked in lime water for several hours. After the arrival of the Spaniards, cannibalism was prohibited, and human flesh was replaced with pork, and so the process of making pozole has changed throughout the history of Mexico.Today, pozole varies according to the region where it is prepared: in the state of Guerrero, the white and green types are made, the latter getting its color from green tomatoes or ground pumpkin seeds, and in some places, cracklings are added, while in Mexico City, Sinaloa, Nayarit, and Jalisco, the red variant is consumed. In some other coastal areas, seafood and fish are added.Whether you prefer it with meat, mixed meats, or chicken; red, green, or white, this patriotic season, when enjoying an incredible pozole, you will know where this tradition originated.