Holy Mole! is a story about cultural fusion.  While the original legend gives credit to the Spanish convents for inventing mole, the word mole itself is Nahuatl for “to stir,” suggesting Indian origins for the dish. The same Nahuatl root is in the word guacamole.

I hope teachers will use the book to talk about how the Spaniards came to Mexico and how their culture blended with that of the native peoples to create a new third culture that is manifest in the food.  A good exercise would be to list the ingredients in mole that come from the new world.  Food words that end in ate in Spanish, such as chocolate and tomate usually have new world origins.  Mole is most common in the region of Pueblo and I hope that teachers will point out the region on the map.

2.  Language

I used Spanish words in Holy Mole because it is a Mexican story and because I love the Spanish language.  I hope that Spanish teachers will use the book and feel free to translate more parts into Spanish for the class. 

Count the ingredients.  Find a mole recipe and talk about the measurements and proportions.

My first inspiration for this story was a piece of art work.  I attended an exhibit of Mexican Folk Art at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, California.  There was a ceramic candelabrum entitled Homage to Mole by Alfonso Castillo Orta.  It featured brightly colored flowers and figures of monks carrying platters of food, and the docent told me about the legend of Brother Pascual.  Look up Alfonso Castillo Orta.  Have students make their own clay candelabrums and paint them.

There are a lot of folk legends about recipes that came about because of an accident.  Have students write their own original legend about the origins of a favorite dish.

When I wrote Holy Mole, I worked hard to get all five senses into the story.  Have students write a story using all five senses: hearing, tasting, touching, seeing, and smelling.

Preparing mole is a process.  It requires a sequence of steps.  Have students write about the process they go through when they prepare something; for example, when they prepare themselves for bed, when they get ready for school in the morning, or when they clean up their rooms.