Golpeando (Pounding Tortillas) (1997)

Tortillas are the staple food throughout Mexico and have been long before the coming of the Spanish. In rural areas, such as the Costa Chica, they are the most important part of the daily diet. Tortillas are generally eaten with every meal, and are made from a dough that consists of ground corn and lye. This photo shows a woman foming a tortilla out of the dough. After flattening it out by hand, she will then cook it on a wood-heated clay cooking surface called a comal.

photo credit: Jeannie Young