Five centuries ago, before Spanish conquistadors arrived, what's now Mexico City was the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan—and it took the European invaders' breath away. It was built on an island threaded with canals; it was one of the largest cities in the world; and the Spanish could hardly believe the sheer volume of food sold in the city's main market, let alone the quantity and variety of dishes enjoyed by the Aztec leader, Montezuma. But how did a city built in a lake—and located in a part of the world without cows, sheep, pigs, or chicken—grow enough to feed quarter of a million people? What does it mean to eat like an Aztec, and can you still do it today? This episode, we're time traveling (and real traveling) to find out! Join us on a trip to taste the flavors of Tenochtitlan, and explore the endangered “floating islands” that fed the city—with a menu that included insect eggs, blue-green algae, and some adorable salamanders that just might hold the secret of eternal youth.

Slide the bar to compare past to present: left, a 3D reconstruction of the island of Tenochitlan-Tlatelolco in Lake Texcoco, circa 1518; right, Mexico City on the same site today. (Image credit: Tenochitlan reconstruction by Thomas Kole; Mexico City drone images by Andrés Semo Garcia, SemoDron)

Episode Notes

David Carballo

David Carballo is professor of anthropology, archeology, and Latin American studies at Boston University. He is the author of, among other books, Collision of Worlds: A Deep History of the Fall of Aztec Mexico and the Forging of New Spain, and the editor of Teotihuacan: The World Beyond the City.

Luis Zambrano

Luis Zambrano is a senior researcher at the Institute of Biology at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. His work to conserve axolotls in Mexico City's chinampas has been covered by National Geographic, The New York Times, and many other outlets.

Roxana Larrondo, Montserrat Castillejo & The Herdez Foundation

Roxana Larrondo is the director of outreach at The Herdez Foundation, a museum, library, and institution dedicated to preserving and furthering Mexico's gastronomy and culinary history. Monserrat Castillejo is a chef for the foundation; she and her colleagues prepared Cynthia and Nicky's delicious Aztec feast.

Left, a 3D reconstruction of the city of Tenochitlan, circa 1518, with the Templo Mayor, the primary holy site of the Aztec capital in the center; right, this spot in Mexico City today, with the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral where the temple once stood. (Image credit: Tenochitlan reconstruction by Thomas Kole; Mexico City drone images by Andrés Semo Garcia, SemoDron)

Joahna Hernandez & Arca Tierra

Joahna Hernandez is the director of marketing at Arca Tierra, a regenerative agriculture and local tourism group focused on restoring the chinampas of Xochimilco. 

Rodrigo Pérez Ortega

Rodrigo Pérez Ortega is an award-winning, bilingual science journalist based in Mexico City, and we couldn't have reported this episode without his help. Find more of his writing from Science Magazine, The New York Times, Quanta, and elsewhere on his website.

Patricia Acosta and Maria Monica Ruiz

Our thanks to Patricia Acosta, a Spanish-English translator based in Somerville, MA, and María Mónica Ruiz, a specialist in sustainability and sustainable tourism based in Bogotá, Colombia, who helped with voiceover work this episode.

Gastropod Survey

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The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for the Public Understanding of Science, Technology, and Economics

This episode of Gastropod was supported by a generous grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for the Public Understanding of Science, Technology, and Economics. Check out the other books, movies, shows, podcasts, and more that they support here.

Montezuma or Moctezuma?

Some of you may already know that the last independent ruler of the Aztec empire's name is transcribed as Moctezuma in Mexico. Apparently Motecuhzoma or Moteuctzoma are even closer to the original Nahuatl. So why is he known as Montezuma among English speakers? According to historian and Nahuatl scholar John F. Shwaller, "in English, we ended up with a slight variant which contains what linguists call an intrusive 'n;' that’s when people add the 'n' sound to a word where is doesn’t really exist. It is found in English words like messenger, one who carries a message." In short, among English-speakers, Montezuma is more commonly understood, but, if you do manage to time-travel back to one of his feasts, maybe stick with Motecuhzoma...

Transcript

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