Myths That All Mexicans Believe but Nobody Knows if They Are True

Food Myths

If anyone annoys the person who is making tamales, those tamales will not be cooked unless the cook does a little dance around them.

When cooking, make a cross of salt on the food, on a plate, or on the floor. This will prevent people from getting sick because of your food.

After eating, if you don’t cover your face and feel cold air, se te enchuecará la boca
(your mouth will get twisted). My grandmother swears this happened to two of her children and that she had to use ice to put their mouths back in place.

If you get angry after eating an avocado it will give you stomach ache.

A cucumber should be cut first by the edges and then carved with one of those pieces, otherwise it will taste bitter. Every time I cut a cucumber I think that it is just a myth and it doesn’t make sense and I intend to ignore it… But I must confess that in the end I always give up.

Abuela myths

Sticking a pair of knives in the ground prevents or stops rain storms. Other people believe that it works better to bury a dozen eggs.

Eating bread when you are scared will stop you being frightened. Now you have the perfect excuse when you visit your nutritionist, “I didn’t break my diet on purpose, I had a month full of frightening situations”.

Drinking Myths

If you are drinking spirits and air hits your face, you get drunk much faster.

Eating “garnachitas” before a party helps you stay sober for much longer.

Mezcal doesn’t cause hangovers.

To cure a hangover, drink more alcohol! It works even better if it’s a cold beer. I don’t know if you’ve tried this but I have and it works.

Diseases myths

You get eye sties because you have watched obscene things. If my grandmother read this she might know why I wear dark sunglasses during family meals.

Drink tequila with lime helps stop the flu. And trust me, if it doesn’t stop the flu, at least you forget that you are sick.

Other popular myths

If you crave something and you don’t eat it, you will get a pimple on your tongue.

A bracelet of “ojo de venado” or a red ribbon around the belly of a pregnant woman repels “mal de ojo”.

When the “afilador” (person who sharpens knives) passes outside your house, shake your “enaguas” to attract money.

You shouldn’t take a bath before going to a funeral. It is not clear why, but my aunts do not miss an opportunity to remind me at every wake.

If you pass by a river at night, you will “agarras un aire”, which means getting headaches, earache, and eye pains. If you have no other choice but to cross the river, it is recommended that you smoke a cigarette to repel “el aire”.