Tlaxcalli (Mesoamerican Corn Tortillas)

Original

The Florentine Codex (General History of the Things of New Spain, compiled by Fray Bernardino de Sahagún, 16th century) describes tlaxcalli extensively in Book 10, Chapter 19, cataloging dozens of named bread varieties sold in the marketplace. The Anderson & Dibble translation (University of Utah Press) is the standard scholarly English edition.

Sahagún's Nahuatl informants describe the basic process (paraphrased from Anderson & Dibble and Sophie Coe's America's First Cuisines, 1994): Dried corn is soaked in lime water (nixtamalization), ground on a metate to form masa, patted into flat rounds, and cooked on a comal (clay griddle). The Codex lists variants including white, yellow, thin, thick, folded, and flavored tortillas.

Full text not freely available online — Anderson & Dibble's translation is under copyright (University of Utah Press). Sophie Coe's America's First Cuisines (1994) provides extensive discussion with excerpts.

My Redaction

Tortilla-making from nixtamalized corn is a living tradition. The period method is essentially identical to traditional Mexican tortilla-making today:

• Soak dried field corn in cal (slaked lime / calcium hydroxide) water overnight
• Wash and grind to masa on a metate (or use a food processor / masa harina as a practical substitute)
• Pat into thin rounds by hand
• Cook on a dry comal or cast-iron griddle until spots appear, flip, finish

For practical hospitality service: Using masa harina (such as Maseca brand) is the standard modern shortcut and produces an authentic result. Mix with warm water, rest 15 minutes, press with a tortilla press or pat by hand, cook on a dry griddle.

Documentation note: The process is well-attested but described ethnographically, not as a "recipe" in the European cookbook sense. Cite Anderson & Dibble Book 10 and Coe (1994).