La Venganza de Moctezuma

When visiting a foreign country we must take many things into account. We have to be mentally prepared to face many ups and downs, not only that but we must be aware that everywhere we go it is a completely different world than where we are coming from so let’s save ourselves some disappointment if things don’t always go our way.

Mexico is not an exception to this rule especially when it comes to food. Sometimes we let ourselves get indulged with all the munchies or junk food “antojitos” as they are known here, like street tacos, tostadas, tortas and refried beans among other goodies soaked in oil or even worse, soaked in “manteca” lard.
When we discover all of Mexico’s exquisite cuisine we tend to forget about our “healthy diet” and release the hungry beast within since we are on vacation or on a long term stay. It is totally acceptable to not always go by the book and be so strict with our diets, after all we are human creatures and we are not in the military but the majority of times we let ourselves be guided by our palate and we forget about the down sides and stick anything we see in our mouths following the “seafood diet”
we eat everything we see, that is to say until our bodies burst with the reaction of so much going on inside and we have to rush to the bathroom……………..
As a Mexican I’ve been exposed to Mexican food ever since I was a little girl, with the exception of pork which I’ve became allergic to as I got older, especially after I changed my diet.
When I first came to Guadalajara I went to let’s say a restaurant in el Centro, after browsing through the menu I saw a dish that caught my eye “carne adobada.” I ordered it without even taking the time to read at what it was or what the dish came with. When my meal arrived I started munching when I noticed that the taste wasn’t anything like beef which I thought it was, the texture was also a bit odd but I didn’t pay much attention since I was in a rush and starving.

Once I finished my lunch I rushed to catch the bus and arrived to my next class right on the dot. After my students arrived everything was going pretty smooth until I came down with these awful cramps that I could barely stand on my feet so I reached for a chair. My students were a bit preoccupied because they thought I was on the verge of death when they saw my ghostly pale face. So there I was sweating and I could hardly breathe. Suddenly I heard this volcano erupting inside me so I rushed to the bathroom, needless to say after letting it all out; I noticed that my whole body was covered with red spots.
I developed an allergic reaction to that “carne adobada,” which I later found out that it was pork. After being bombarded with questions as to what and where I had eaten my students came down with the conclusion that it was that tasty meal I had had earlier in the day. Later that evening when I got home, my neighbor made a tasty hot soup to soothe my stomach and that was when I found out about “La Venganza de Moctezuma.”
She explained that when newcomers or even inhabitants eat something that their stomachs don’t take too well, you don’t feel it when it goes inside; you feel it when it’s coming out, as they say here “te cobra la salida.” You pay the consequences when it comes out.
“La Venganza de Moctezuma” Moctezuma’s revenge is a side effect or allergic reaction we get after eating spicy food. It is too much for our bodies to handle when we are not accustomed to the food in this new country. We are used to eating at restaurants that are not authentic, now when we come to Mexico, we really find out what the real Mexican deal is about. According to my neighbor and a few others I’ve asked, “La Venganza de Moctezuma” is a process foreigners go through when they first arrive to Mexico. I, of course wasn’t very satisfied with the answer so I decided to look into it in more depth. It boils down to the allergic reaction when eating hot and spicy food. Our bodies come back to claim the maladjustment going on inside, being in revolution, they protest against all the “antojitos” we packed down. “La Venganza de Moctezuma is not an illness, it is only a bad moment.” It doesn’t have anything to do with where we’re at, it has more to do with the fact of being new to a country as it can happen to anyone anywhere so don’t panic and think that all the food in Mexico is bad because every country has its own revolting meals.
This phrase “La Venganza de Moctezuma” takes us back to the early 1500’s. Moctezuma was a trained priest who later became the leader of the Aztecs. At that time the Aztecs were the primary owners of what is now Mexico and Central America, their capital was “Tenochtitlan” Mexico City.
When explorer and conquistador Hernan Cortes arrived to Tenochtitlan in 1519, Moctezuma under the belief that Cortes and his people were descendants of the God Quetzalcoatl, he allowed the Spanish conquistadors to enter Tenochtitlan. Without opposing he gave himself away and he was then captured and held hostage by Cortes.
To this day it is unclear as to how Moctezuma died; there are different versions to his death; he was either stabbed by the Spaniards or he was killed. It depends on who tells the story.
So nowadays when foreigners visit Mexico, people say that it is Moctezuma’s spirit that has come back to claim his land. Many people are unaware as to how far back this goes, who Moctezuma was or what his story was, they just go with the flow and say “oh, it’s La Venganza de Moctezuma, he has come back to claim his territory.”
Let’s not get intimidated by Moctezuma’s revenge and enjoy all of Mexico’s beauties such as its food but keep this in mind “almost everything within reason everywhere." you go.”