Origins of Posadas in Mexico
Before anyone asked for “posada,” December was already a time of celebration in the Mexican world. The indigenous people honored Huitzilopochtli with the festivity called “panquetzaliztli,” featuring dances, offerings, and food to celebrate the triumph of light over darkness.
With the arrival of the Spanish, missionaries took advantage of this festive calendar to introduce Christian celebrations. By 1586, Augustinian friar Fray Diego de Soria obtained permission to hold “misas de aguinaldo” (Christmas masses) from December 16 to 24 in Acolman, now part of the Mexico State. These nine nights commemorated Joseph and Mary’s search for shelter.
Initially, these were solemn ceremonies in church courtyards and buildings, with processions, litanies, and representations of the journey to Bethlehem. Over time, this liturgy left the temples and was adapted by neighborhoods, haciendas, and communities, eventually becoming domestic posadas: a blend of prayer, song, games, piñatas, and, of course, food.
The Kitchen Takes Center Stage
Once posadas were established in courtyards and homes, the kitchen took charge. The scene is etched in collective memory: while some sing with candles, others stir the ponche in the kitchen, some fry buñuelos, and a table is laden with aguinaldos.
The “aguinaldo” was, from the start, an act of generosity. Initially small gifts; later, it became customary to fill bags with simple yet festive items: cane sugar, mandarins, peanuts, and snacks. This mix of citrus, sugar, and crunch was almost a summary of the posada in one bag: modesty, symbolic abundance, and celebration.
Traditional Posada Fare
Each region of the country has its own repertoire, but certain flavors recur and are, for many families, an automatic synonym of posada.
Ponche de frutas is the starting signal. In a clay pot, tejocote, guava, apple, cane sugar, piloncillo, cloves, and cinnamon simmer. It may include jamaica, tamarind, or a “piquetito” of alcohol, but its essence remains the same: warming hands, throats, and spirits.
Alongside it usually appears atole –of maize, vanilla, or strawberry– and champurrado, thick and comforting, designed to face December’s cold air.
Buñuelos de rodilla or wind, drizzled with piloncillo honey or sprinkled with sugar, crack between fingers.
Churros, which have earned a place in plazas and colonies as natural companions to ponche.
To satisfy the savory craving, posadas have adopted dishes capable of feeding many without complications:
- Tamales with atole, the unbeatable duo for cold nights.
- Pozole rojo or verde, which stopped being exclusive to September and became a main course in many urban posadas.
- Tostadas de tinga, pata, or salpicón, assembled in batches on the table, always at the center so everyone can serve themselves.
- Pambazos de papa with chorizo, fried on a comal, are almost a subgenre of Chilango posadas.
Elotes and esquites, ubiquitous in neighborhoods and December fairs, close the circle of popular cravings.
And as a culinary coda, the aguinaldos: bags that now mix snacks, mandarins, and peanuts with chocolates, gummies, and industrial snacks. The format has changed, but the idea remains the same: no child (or adult) leaves with empty hands.
Disappearing Flavors
The history of posadas is also told by absence. There are flavors that were once common and now appear only occasionally in family gatherings or in the memories of the elders.
Colaciones, for example, were once the heart of aguinaldos. Those colored sugar balls with almonds, anise, or peanuts in the center are now sharing –and often losing– prominence compared to glossy-wrapped sweets. They still exist, but are no longer essential.
Also blurred are the olla desserts prepared without haste:
- Sweet potatoes and calabazas, slowly cooked in piloncillo and cinnamon.
- Crystallized fruits, arranged like jewels on Christmas trays.
- Town bread or homemade bread, specifically baked for the season.
You won’t find them often in urban posadas; they’ve been replaced by bought desserts, snack tables, and custom-made cakes.
On the salty side, some festive soups that once accompanied December gatherings have also lost ground:
- Sopa de pan –made with hard bread, tomatoes, and broth– or certain festive chiles rellenos prepared only for these dates are now rarities that appear, if lucky, once a year. However, the tradition has been served since the 16th century with certainty that eating together is the simplest and most powerful way to provide shelter.
