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5 interesting Mexican inventions 

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Mexico, the country of mariachis, pomp, color, and fun. Mexico is a country of amazing beaches, great culture, and great food. It is famous for tortillas, Mayan temples, burritos, tacos, and amazing people. You might know Mexico for ‘Day of the Dead’ and its agricultural prowess. Something you might not know about Mexico is that it is the home of really amazing inventions! These five things that we have used or interacted with, in our daily lives are from Mexico. Check them out!

1. Color television

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The ability for us to watch events happening across the world, movies, and other visual content on color television is a gift given to us by none other than Guillermo Gonzales Camarena. Camarena was only 23 years of age when he presented a patent for the color television, to the US patent in Mexico. His design for the color television uses a motor-driven disk, which used the three primary colors- blue, green, and red behind the camera lens, which when rerun fast enough, creates a full-color image. The invention required people to get color televisions because the black and white televisions did not support the new signals to be supported. The mechanical engineer pioneered his work while working for the XEPD Radio station. This invention was the crown of all his inventions, including Image Orithicon Camera, the RCA 1847 iconoscope camera among many more.

2. Avocado

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This has to be the world’s happiest fruit! This one is the mother of fats, the good kind of fats, that is, and of course, great nutrients! The creamy fruit has been an important part of Mexico and especially the Mesoamerican people for tens of thousands of years! This may explain why it is the most important ingredient in the making of the amazing guacamole! The Mesoamericans are believed to have domesticated the avocado trees as they believed the tree and its fruit had mythical powers. The avocado has a long and interesting history and journey across the world! When Spanish explorers visited Mexico, it is believed that they carried the fruit with them to Europe and parts of South and Central America. The fruit itself has had several names in different parts of the world, some being the Aztec name Ahucalt because they believed the fruit to be an aphrodisiac. Ahucalt is where ‘Avocado’ is derived from. Alligator Pear is also a name given to it by the English people, probably because of the fruit’s rough ‘alligator-like’ texture. Then there is the ‘Butter Fruit’ name given to it by the Indians, because of its creamy, buttery texture and taste. So what do you call this amazing fruit, in your language or region?

3. The contraceptive pill

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26-year-old chemist Luis Ernesto Miramontes discovered the contraceptive pill in 1951, an invention that has been ranked among the world’s most revolutionary inventions of all time. The oral contraceptive pill became ready and available for sale in 1960, having been perfected by the chemist and teacher. Overpopulation in Mexico and across the world motivated Ernesto and his doctor colleague to create something that would reduce the number of children being born into families. It was noted that families were growing larger and larger, and there was no way of controlling the number of children that a family could have. Luis Miramontes, working for the Chemistry Institute of UNAM, synthesized the norethisterone, which now could be ingested orally. This pill revolutionized reproductive health across the world. Miramontes’s invention was so great and influential, so much that he became the only Mexican to appear on the US Inventor’s Hall of Fame among other accolades. Carl Djerassi and George Rosenkranz applied and got a patent for the pill, which is now used by billions of women across the world.

4. Chocolate

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Chocolate! Who doesn’t love this amazing delight? Chocolate makes people happy, and you should know, that this amazing treat came from the good, old Mexico! The pre-Olmec tribes are believed to have discovered chocolate way back in 1900BC, where the cocoa crop was cultivated, roasted, and fermented! They were then ground, mixed with other spices, then brewed! Interesting. The Mayans worshiped the gods of cocoa, because they found the drink to be more than just a form of food, it was an aphrodisiac, mood enhancer, and much more, so they believed the plant came from the gods! It was such a prized commodity that it was only reserved for the rich, and royalty, and when the Aztec community could not farm the cocoa plant because of the climatic conditions in central Mexico, it became an item that was traded between the Mayans and them. When the Spanish people interacted with the Mexicans and adopted the plant, they managed to keep it a secret for hundreds of years, until 1615, when the King of Spain Philip III wed French King Louse XIII she took with her chocolates to France and that is when the precious commodity became an international hit. In 1828, the chocolate press was invented by Coenraad Johannes van Houten, which now created the chocolate bars that we love and enjoy today. Since then, the chocolate industry has come a long way and also introduced different forms and flavors!

5. Tequila

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What is a party without some good shots of tequila? It will not be so much fun! Did you know that this great drink, known all over the world is an invention of the good old Mexico? The origin of tequila dates back to the 16th century, a drink made from the agave pulque plant in the city of Tequila, which the drink is named after, in Central Mexico. The drink was from the fermented agave of the plant, which came into production when the Spanish explorers and knights went out of brandy. It was not until the onset of the 17th century that mass production of the now popular drink was done by Don Conebio Sauza who founded the Sauza Tequila. The company then started exporting tequila to the United States and other countries and in 1974, they got a patent for the tequila drink. Then came the popularity of the drink across the world! There are now over 1000 brands of tequila being sold all across the world.