ANCESTRAL HEAT” AND “ORIGINS, ROUTES, AND EVOLUTION OF CAPSICUM”

"ANCESTRAL HEAT: THE ORIGINS, ROUTES, AND EVOLUTION OF CAPSICUM"

The Heart of Authentic Tacos

When we stroll through the vibrant streets of Mexico, the sight of a bustling taco stand with a long line draws us in. We can’t help but think: those tacos must be exceptional! The quality of the meat and the freshness of the corn tortilla are crucial. However, in our opinion, there’s one ingredient that truly defines whether a taco is unforgettable:

The Salsa

Salsas—those rustic blends of tomatoes or tomatillos mixed with spicy chiles—often elevate a taco from good to extraordinary. But how do we determine if a salsa is truly the best? The answer lies not only in flavor but also in history.

Heat: A Mexican Measurement You Can’t Always Translate

Spice is personal, cultural, and surprisingly challenging to articulate. According to Paco Ignacio Taibo I, Mexicans often describe chile heat in ways that can confuse outsiders. A salsa “doesn’t burn” when it does, it “burns a little” when it burns a lot, and it “burns like crazy” when it’s best avoided.

This is part of the challenge: there isn’t a universal way to communicate how hot a chile feels. Even with scales like Scoville, heat isn’t just a number—it’s a combination of habit, memory, and training.

Chile in Pre-Hispanic Mexico: More Than an Ingredient

Chile has been a cornerstone of Mexican cuisine since pre-Hispanic times. While many enjoy chile daily, fewer realize its deep integration into daily life, trade, medicine, and ritual.

Historical accounts—including those of Fray Bernardino de Sahagún—reveal that by the 16th century, chile was already widely commercialized and used far beyond the kitchen. Sahagún documented beliefs and rituals tied to selling chile: vendors would place two chiles under their sheets at night to attract customers when sales were low, hoping the ritual would bring better business the next day.

Chile at the Market and on the Comal

Chile traveled through markets and kitchens across regions. It was sold by merchants who carried chiles from various areas and was central to the work of cooks and street food vendors.

Chiles appeared in:

• Tortillas filled with meat and ground chile (early relatives of tacos, gorditas, and sopes)

• Stews cooked with tomato

• Hot drinks such as atoles

  
  

Indigenous Mexican cooking also gifted us preparations and traditions that still resonate today, including chilmole, chilatole, chipotle, and chiltepín.

Chile didn’t just flavor food—it shaped everyday life.

A Universe of Varieties: Chile as a Map of Mexico

Today, we recognize around 70 species of chiles. Sahagún described multiple types, including red chiles with milder flavors and chiles known for their intense heat. He also referenced varieties such as:

• Cuitlachilli

• Tenpilchilli

• Chichjoachilli

  
  

These were connected to regions like Xochimilco, Oaxtepec, Michoacán, Chihuahua, the Huasteca, and the Chichimeca, among others. Chile, in many ways, serves as a living map of Mexico—each variety carrying its own place, climate, technique, and tradition.

Pleasure and Pain: The Power of Chile

Chile has long symbolized both pleasure and pain. Beyond its culinary role, historical accounts describe its use in punishment and discipline.

Some stories recount how chiles were burned, and individuals were confined in smoke-filled rooms. Others describe forcing people to eat extremely spicy tamales without water. Even children, according to some accounts, faced punishment with chile rubbed on their bodies for misbehavior.

In the 17th century, under the Hohokam tradition, it is said that ballgame losers could have wild chiltepín rubbed into their eyes. These difficult histories reveal something significant: chile carried power—social, cultural, and symbolic.

Capsicum: The Plant That Transformed Food Into Nourishment

Chiles and peppers come from the plant genus Capsicum. One of its greatest gifts is its ability to enhance what’s available in nature, turning simple ingredients into vibrant nourishment.

Pre-Hispanic cooks mastered combinations of flavors, colors, and textures that created extraordinary dishes. Chile wasn’t just culinary; it was also ceremonial. In certain rituals, the meat of sacrificed humans was prepared without salt or chile, symbolizing sacrifice—meaning neither salt nor chile was consumed during that preparation.

That detail alone highlights how sacred—and central—chile was.

From Mexico to the World (and Back Into Our Mouths)

Capsicum spread widely. It traveled to places like Cuba and Yucatán, eventually being domesticated and cultivated around the globe. Today, when foreigners visit Mexico and try our food, their palates often aren’t accustomed to the spice. This is why misunderstandings occur: Mexicans don’t have a perfect “heat roster” to explain exactly how hot each chile will feel to someone new.

But spice can be learned!

We can train our palates gradually, tasting chiles little by little and building tolerance over time. History shows that adaptation happened on a large scale too—such as after the Caste War (1847–1848), when migration may have carried chile seeds and culinary traditions to places like Cuba, the United States, and Mexico City.

Chile Is Part of Who We Are

There is no exact, universal way to measure the heat of Mexican chiles as we experience it. Many chiles were once wild; some were domesticated and carried across the world. While we can be grateful that chile-smoke “punishment rooms” are no longer common—and we can hope children are no longer punished with chiles—what remains is undeniable:

Chile is part of what distinguishes us.

We invite you to explore the rich history and flavors of authentic Mexican tacos at Jus' Tacos. Let’s celebrate the vibrant world of chiles together!

Román Gutiérrez, J. F., & del Río Hernández, L. I. (2017). Picor ancestral: El chile en el mundo prehispánico. Artes de México, (126), 21–27.

Long, J. (2017). Orígenes, rutas y evolución del “Capsicum”. Artes de México, (126), 9–17.