Join us for a flavorful edition of Texas Talks with historian Pilar Zazueta as she explores the shared holiday food traditions of Mexico, Latin America, and the American Southwest. From the origins and cultural significance of tamales to regional variations and festive preparations, Pilar will dive into how these culinary staples connect communities across borders. With her expertise in food history and nutrition policy in 20th-century Mexico, Pilar brings fascinating insights to the table—don’t miss this engaging discussion!
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Bio:
Pilar Zazueta is a historian and Associate Professor of Instruction at the University of Texas at Austin. She is currently the associate director of Undergraduate Studies at the Teresa Lozano Long Institute for Latin American Studies. Her research focuses on the history of the processed food industry and nutrition policies in 20th-century Mexico. Pilar holds a B.A. in International Relations from the Colegio de México and a Ph.D. in History from Columbia University in New York. Her most recent article is “Consumer Activism, Ultra-Processed Food Marketing and the Meaning of Healthy Eating in Mexico: A Diachronic Study” in Food Marketing and Selling Healthy Lifestyles with Science: Transhistorical Perspectives, ed. Lauren Alex O'Hagan and Göran Eriksson (Routledge, 2024). In addition to her academic work, Pilar has collaborated with Telemundo, Univision, and publications such as Dallas Morning News as a guest columnist and filmmaker Karen Akins in her documentary “El Susto” about the diabetes epidemic in Mexico
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