Hello, my name is Yoz, the Tortillera behind Tlaxcalli.
About
Us
What is Tlaxcalli?
Our Corn
Tlaxcalli (tlahsh-KAH-lee) is the Classical Nahuatl word for tortilla. Rooted in ixca ("to bake").
When the Spanish arrived in Mesoamerica, they encountered tlaxcalli but began referring to it as tortilla, meaning "little cake" in Spanish, because it resembled familiar flatbreads from their own traditions. Over time, tortilla became the dominant term, while tlaxcalli remained part of the Nahuatl language.
The name carries something personal. I was born in Puebla, but my grandmother is from Tlaxcala, the very place whose name means "place of tortillas" in Nahuatl. Much of what I know about Nahuatl, traditional food, and its history came from her, and from time spent in Cuetzalan, my favorite place in Puebla, where Nahuatl is still very much a living language. I call the Pacific Northwest home, but I find my way back to Puebla as often as I can. Tlaxcalli is my way of keeping it close.
We source our heirloom corn from a small farm here in the Pacific Northwest, grown from seed varieties with deep roots in Mexican agricultural heritage.
For our white tortillas, we use a mild, classic heirloom corn, soft, pliable, and clean in flavor, with a subtle sweetness that makes it the most traditional and versatile foundation for tortillas across Mexico.
For our blue tortillas, we use Cónico Azul, an heirloom variety with a special place in the foodways of central Mexico, including Puebla. Named for its conical-shaped ears and striking blue-purple kernels, Cónico Azul is prized for its rich, nutty flavor and excellent texture, long considered ideal for grinding into masa.
Both varieties are prepared through nixtamalization, an ancient process dating back to at least 1500 BC that unlocks higher nutritional value, removes impurities, and develops a deeper flavor and aroma impossible to get from commercial masa. It's the same process our abuelas knew. We just moved it a little further north.
I make fresh masa & tortillas from heirloom corn using the traditional nixtamal process, a method that has been used throughout Mexico for generations.
For many of us who move to the United States, access to organic maiz tortillas is surprisingly difficult. What was once a simple staple often gets replaced by mass-produced, shelf-stable versions that prioritize convenience over flavor, nutrition, and tradition. Tlaxcalli exists to bring back the kind of tortillas and masa I grew up with: made from organic corn, processed the traditional way, and meant to be enjoyed fresh.
