Podcast Summary: New Books Network – Ignacio M. Sánchez Prado, "Taco" (Bloomsbury, 2025)
Date: January 19, 2026
Host: Dr. Miranda Melcher
Guest: Dr. Ignacio M. Sánchez Prado
Episode Topic: A Deep Dive into Tacos, Their Social History, and Cultural Meaning

Episode Overview

In this conversation, Dr. Miranda Melcher interviews Dr. Ignacio M. Sánchez Prado about his book Taco, published by Bloomsbury in 2025 as part of the Object Lessons series. The discussion traverses the taco’s layered significance, debunking common myths, interrogating the idea of authenticity, examining the social and economic forces shaping the taco, and highlighting its role in both Mexican and global cultures. Sánchez Prado brings personal anecdotes, scholarly rigor, and a narrative touch to unpack how tacos encapsulate issues of identity, modernity, migration, class, and place.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Write an Object Lessons Book—And Why on Tacos?

[02:07–04:13]

• Author's Background:
  Ignacio M. Sánchez Prado is a professor of Mexican Studies at Washington University in St. Louis, working on literature, cinema, art, and gastronomy.
• Choice of Format:
  Chose the Object Lessons series for its accessibility and compactness (“like a taco—so much packed in”).
• Why Tacos?
  • Tacos widely perceived as quintessentially Mexican, yet their forms vary greatly.
  • Tacos offer a way to challenge “common sense ideas about things,” such as their supposed pre-Columbian origin and the notion of ‘authentic tacos’.
  • The book aims to “track some of the histories that challenge accepted, received notions.”

  “Tacos are not pre‑Columbian, for example, which many people believe they are. [...] There is no such thing as an authentic taco... rather there are varieties of tacos that have differing histories.”
  —Sánchez Prado [04:27]

2. Myth-Busting the Taco: Pre-Columbian Origins & Modernity

[05:50–07:57]

• Common Myth: Tacos predate the Spanish conquest.
• Actual History: While tortillas are pre-Columbian, the social concept of the taco emerges in the 19th century, tied to Spanish-speaking communities. The word “taco” in Spanish refers to “cylinder.”
• Urban, Modern Phenomenon:
  The taco is a product of modernization and urbanization.

  “It is more of a modern food. And to me, that is really the onus of the book, is to say it's a food that rises with modernity.”
  —Sánchez Prado [07:14]

3. The Taco as Street Food: Portability and Urban Space

[08:15–11:53]

• Street Food Economy:
  Urbanization and industrialization created the demand for portable food, making tacos (alongside hot dogs, burgers, etc.) ubiquitous outside subway stations and on city streets.
• Technological Change:
  Widespread taco consumption depends on mechanization—mass production of tortillas made taquerias viable.
• Diversity By Time & Place:
  • Taco types vary throughout the day: e.g., protein-rich “carnitas” in the morning; “al pastor” tacos peak late at night.
  • Social location (street vs. restaurant) profoundly shapes taco diversity.

4. Challenging Authenticity: The Diaspora, Taco Bell, and Regional Foods

[12:44–16:00]

• Authenticity Debated:
  • American “Mexican” foods (e.g., Taco Bell's hard shell taco) differ greatly from Mexican originals but have legitimate origins in migration and adaptation.
  • Processed, industrialized versions often reflect adaptation to available ingredients and social context.
  • There’s a problematic use of authenticity as a tool to “demean the Mexican diaspora as less Mexican than us.”
• Regional Legitimacy:
  Diaspora foods should be seen as regional cuisines, natural products of their environment and social conditions.
  • Notably, chef Rick Bayless’s Mexican restaurants in Chicago are lauded for research and respectful adaptation, transcending simplistic authenticity.

  “Mexican food from the US has to be thought as a regional food that is naturally going to be different because it has a different supply chain, a different set of social conditions.”
  —Sánchez Prado [15:20]

5. Corn vs. Flour Tortillas & Nullifying “More Mexican Than Thou” Arguments

[16:15–17:46]

• Corn Seen as More ‘Authentic’ by Mesoamerican regions – a myth.
• Regional Supply Chains:
  Wheat grows in northern Mexico; thus, flour tortillas are traditional there and not less Mexican.
  • Policing flour vs. corn is misguided; both are valid expressions of Mexicanidad.

6. Tacos, Gentrification & Food Politics

[18:15–21:08]

• Gentrification in Mexico City:
  • Rise of upscale taquerias serving heirloom (non-GMO) corn tortillas at premium prices; part of a broader gentrification dynamic and “global fine dining” trend.
• Complex Effects:
  • Displacement occurs, yet higher prices sometimes support peasant economies and traditional agriculture, countering agribusiness.
  • No simple moral judgment suffices:

  “We have to grasp that contradiction rather than making sort of a moral judgment in either direction. The food is great, the politics behind it are, you know, ambiguous.”
  —Sánchez Prado [20:09]

7. Heirloom Corn, Food Sovereignty, and Indigeneity

[21:16–24:12]

• Heirloom Corn is a human invention, central to indigenous Mexican agriculture.
• Industrial Corn (NAFTA, GMOs):
  Imported US corn is lower in nutritional value, linked to health issues in Mexico.
• Food Sovereignty:
  Despite gentrification's problems, the market for heirloom corn supports rural livelihoods and resists agribusiness domination.

8. Experiencing Tacos: Place, Space, and Materiality

[24:31–29:22]

• Taco Tours:
  • Sánchez Prado begins in Colonia San Rafael, Mexico City—a neighborhood with diverse, adjacent taquerias, from the Michelin-starred El Califa de León (steak taco) to Latonina (northern Mexican, flour tortilla).
  • The connection of object (taco) and space (neighborhood, urban texture) defines the eating experience.

  “The way you consume or use an object... is different than the bourgeois sitting back in your couch in a private space. So the taco works in a similar way... so integrated to the textures of the city.”
  —Sánchez Prado [26:08]

• Object Lessons Series:
  The series emphasizes writing around literal objects and their social construction.

9. The Best (and Worst) Tacos

[27:36–30:14]

• Worst Taco:
  The “French taco” in Paris—“like a burrito you put together on a McDonald's-like screen... undecipherable things” like “Samurai sauce” and fries inside.
• Best Experience:
  • Taco al pastor at El Vilsito in Mexico City (a car repair shop by day, taqueria by night).
  • The ambiance, social setting, and city bustle are integral.

  “To me, the taco al pastor at night in my favorite place in Mexico City... such an amazingly done quality taco, but also in the kind of form and social context that I enjoy. And to me, that combination is what makes them.”
  —Sánchez Prado [29:05]

• Experience is Key:
  • American cities lack the robust street food culture of Mexico City, which creates a less vibrant social experience.

10. Appropriation, Race, and Cultural Understanding

[30:26–32:14]

• Race & Ownership:
  The U.S.-centric model of racial and cultural appropriation does not translate simply to Mexico, a nation built on mestizaje (racial mixing).
• Cognitive Imperialism:
  Imposing US categories onto Latin American realities skews understanding.

  “There’s some kind of cognitive imperialism when you try to apply American vocabulary to Latin American reality.”
  —Sánchez Prado [31:45]

11. Storytelling and Scholarship

[32:14–32:52]

• Concise, Narrative Style:
  The book is short (about 30,000 words), intentionally readable, and uses storytelling to make scholarship accessible, breaking away from “gatekeeping” academic prose.

12. Upcoming Work

[32:52–34:36]

• Future Book:
  Sánchez Prado is working on “Mexico City: A Writer’s City” for Cambridge University Press’s Imagining Cities series, blending literature, geography, and social analysis.
  • Draws inspiration from theorists (Bourdieu, Lefebvre, Benjamin), but focuses on pragmatic, layered analysis.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Modern Taco:
  “It's a food that rises with modernity... whenever you are tying it to pre‑Columbian identities... you are missing the point of a food that has to do more with urban life.” [07:14]

• On Authenticity and the Diaspora:
  “Who are we to judge that?... There is a very problematic use of authenticity from Mexico because it has been deployed historically to demean the Mexican diaspora as less Mexican than us.” [14:01]

• On Gentrification and Contradiction:
  “One of the most important political causes in Mexico is the preservation of peasant economies... this gentrified economy has created in turn an economy to sustain traditional production... We have to grasp that contradiction rather than making sort of a moral judgment in either direction.” [20:09]

• On Place & the Taco:
  “A taco tour... allows you to see the correlation between the object and the space.” [25:16]

• On the Best Taco Experience:
  “It’s an apples and oranges question... To me, the taco al pastor at night in my favorite place in Mexico City... that combination is what makes them.” [29:05]

• On Cognition and Appropriation:
  “There's some kind of cognitive imperialism when you try to apply American vocabulary to Latin American reality.” [31:45]

Timestamps of Major Topics

• [02:07] Author introduction and why write about tacos
• [04:27] Why tacos are “interesting objects” and challenging authenticity
• [06:00] Debunking the pre-Columbian taco myth
• [08:15] How industrialization, urbanization, and technology shape tacos
• [10:07] Taco types by time of day and social context
• [12:44] The complexity and pitfalls of “authenticity”
• [16:15] Corn vs. flour tortilla as a regional, not hierarchical, difference
• [18:15] Gentrification effects on tacos and local economies
• [21:16] Heirloom corn, GMOs, and Mexican food sovereignty
• [24:31] Exploring Mexico City through taco tours and spatial experience
• [27:56] The best and worst tacos ever tasted
• [30:26] Cultural ownership, race, and “cognitive imperialism”
• [32:20] The book’s narrative style and readable approach
• [33:00] Sneak peek at Sánchez Prado’s next book on Mexico City

Conclusion

This episode brings the humble taco into a lens of global, social, and political inquiry, exploding myths and urging nuanced thinking about food, identity, and culture. Sánchez Prado’s Taco is as much about what we eat as how, where, and why we eat it, inviting listeners and readers to look beyond the tortilla and into the rich, messy, and fascinating fabric of modern society.