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