Flour tortillas are a staple of Northern New Mexican culture. I can still taste the tortillas Tía Juanita would bring to Grandma's house every Sunday, taken from a plastic bag, reheated directly on the burner, rubbed with butter, and eaten alongside Tío Felix's potatoes with ground beef.

Before the arrival of the Spanish, Pueblo people cultivated some traditional crops like corn, beans, and squash, alongside hunting and gathering. In the late 16th century, Spanish colonization introduced wheat, livestock, and other agricultural practices that would eventually become part of the culture here. Wheat was grown in addition to other crops, planted after the first harvest as a second crop. Wheat cultivation remained common throughout Northern New Mexico into the 20th century. Almost every village along the rivers had their own molino, or gristmill, powered by water diverted ...