Posada food: what is served at the Mexican posadas

What is it?

The food of the Mexican posadas, celebrated from 16 to 24 December, is one of the most extensive and lively festive menus in the national calendar. Each night for nine days, the journey of Mary and Joseph seeking lodging in Bethlehem is recalled with songs, prayers and processions, culminating in the breaking of a seven-pointed piñata and a festive supper. The typical foods include hot Christmas ponche (with a spike of tequila, rum or brandy for adults) made with seasonal fruits, red and green tamales, chocolate atole or champurrado, buñuelos with piloncillo syrup, antojitos such as tostadas, sopes, pambazos and enchiladas, Christmas Eve salad, and aguinaldos for the children (little bags with sweets, peanuts, mandarins, colaciones and sugar cane). It is one of the most communal gastronomic rituals of the Mexican year.

Origin and history

The posadas have a colonial origin in New Spain in the 16th century, attributed to the Augustinian friars of San Agustín Acolman (State of Mexico) who in 1587 obtained permission from Pope Sixtus V to hold 'aguinaldo masses' between 16 and 24 December, evangelising the indigenous Mesoamerican peoples whose calendar included winter solstice celebrations coinciding with these dates. Larousse Cocina notes that the nine nights represent the nine months of Mary's pregnancy. The seven-pointed piñata (representing the seven deadly sins broken with the stick of faith) is an invention of the viceregal period, possibly of Italian origin transformed in Mexico. México Desconocido documents that the typical posada menu became established in the 19th century as a combination of popular Mesoamerican antojitos (tamales, atole, ponche with local fruits) with colonial additions (buñuelos, fruit salads). The Government of Mexico recognises the posadas as a fundamental tradition of Mexican intangible cultural heritage.

Characteristic ingredients

Christmas ponche, the star drink of the posadas, combines fresh and dried seasonal fruits: tejocote, peeled and chopped sugar cane, guava, apple, prune, dried peach, tamarind, dried hibiscus and hibiscus flower. It is cooked with piloncillo, cinnamon stick, star anise and clove for 30-45 minutes until the fruits release their flavour and the drink takes on a reddish colour. It is served hot in a clay jar; for adults it is 'spiked' with a splash of tequila, white rum, brandy or aguardiente when served. The tamales may be green with chicken, red with pork, mole, rajas or sweet; atole accompanies in chocolate (champurrado), vanilla, strawberry or guava versions. Buñuelos bathed in piloncillo syrup close the menu. The children's aguinaldos contain little bags with: mandarins, peeled sugar cane, peanuts in their shells, colación (coloured sugar sweets), jelly sweets, palanquetas and fairground sweets.

Cultural significance

The posadas are one of the liveliest and most participatory festive traditions of the Mexican calendar, celebrated for more than 400 years in neighbourhoods, districts, churches and private homes. They bring together neighbours, relatives and friends over nine consecutive nights around processions, songs, piñatas and banquets that affirm community ties. The economy of the posadas is enormous: production and sale of tamales, bottled or home-made ponche, aguinaldo sweets, artisanal piñatas (from Acolman, San Pedro Cholula and other centres), buñuelos and atoles reach a peak in December. The Government of Mexico and the states promote the posadas as cultural heritage, particularly in Acolman (State of Mexico), considered the official cradle of the tradition. Traditional Mexican cuisine was recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2010, and the posadas are one of its most complete expressions. The tradition has been exported to Mexican communities in the United States, Central America and Europe, keeping the heritage alive.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a posada and Christmas Eve?

The posadas are nine consecutive celebrations from 16 to 24 December, with songs, a procession, a piñata and a modest or festive supper in neighbourhoods and homes. Christmas Eve on the 24th is the largest family celebration with a formal dinner (salt cod, turkey, pork loin, Christmas Eve salad), gifts at midnight and Midnight Mass. The ninth posada (24 December) merges with Christmas Eve in many Mexican families.

What does Christmas ponche taste like?

It tastes of a deep, spiced fruit infusion: the sweetness of piloncillo, the sharp freshness of tejocote and hibiscus, the earthy sweetness of sugar cane, the sweet notes of guava and the spiced aroma of cinnamon, star anise and clove. With a spike it takes on an alcoholic warmth that contrasts with the December cold. It is the warm, comforting and festive drink par excellence.

How is posada food served?

It is served at a communal table after the procession and the liturgical songs, with large pots of hot tamales, cauldrons of steaming ponche, trays of buñuelos, and individual aguinaldos for the children after breaking the piñata. Each family or neighbourhood contributes a dish; it is shared in clay jars, disposable plates or family crockery, in a festive atmosphere with carols and conversation.

Where does the tradition of the posadas come from?

It originates in colonial New Spain, attributed to the Augustinian friars of the convent of Acolman (State of Mexico) in 1587, authorised by Pope Sixtus V to evangelise through aguinaldo masses from 16 to 24 December. The tradition merges Christian elements (the journey of Joseph and Mary) with pre-Hispanic winter solstice celebrations, creating one of the most successful syncretic festivities of Mexican Catholicism.