For my final blog post, I chose a picture of the tamales that we made as a group at Casa Herrera. I never expected food to be such a major part of my experience. Learning about maize in the classroom definitely contributed to my research project about the Maize god, but actually handling it and making food played a big role as well. I never understood the time and energy that went into the tamales that I often ate at dinner with my homestay. Tamales don’t need to have many ingredients, and I always thought that they were simple to make. However, having to carefully hand-make each tamale with the dough and plantain leaf over and over allowed me to realize how much of a commitment cooking really is. I often think of cooking as a chore, especially when you live alone. Making tamales with my classmates made me realize that cooking is a really important cultural activity. Not only are you bonding with those around you, but you are creating food out of corn, an important traditional food for the Maya. Traditionally, the Maya eat corn three times a day, once at every meal. According to the Popol Vuh, humans were made out of a combination of white and yellow corn. Corn is the food that sustains humanity, literally and figuratively. Making tamales was an experience that many people don’t get to have, and I am so grateful I got to partake in doing so!
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