Metates

Metates are stone grinding tools used to process grains, seeds, and spices, most notably maize, in Mesoamerican and surrounding culinary traditions. They typically consist of a flat or slightly concave plane, the metate, with a shallow grinding surface, paired with a separate handheld stone called the mano. The mano is rubbed or rolled across the metate to crush and powder the material.

Construction and varieties are driven by material availability and use. Metates are commonly made from hard stones such as basalt, diorite, or granite, chosen for their durability and rough grinding surface. They can take different forms, including flat slabs with a recessed grinding area or trough-like versions. The size ranges from small, portable setups to larger, fixed installations in kitchens or workspaces.

Primary use is for food preparation. Maize is ground to masa for tortillas, tamales, and other staples, often after a nixtamalization process that involves cooking and soaking the kernels with lime. Besides maize, metates are used to grind cacao beans, dried chiles, sesame, coffee, and various seeds and spices. The technique depends on manual control of pressure and movement, producing flour, paste, or dough-like textures.

Culturally and historically, metates have been central to everyday life in many pre-Columbian and contemporary communities. They appear in archaeological contexts and remain common in rural kitchens, though many are now decorative or used for traditional foods in modern settings. The term metate derives from Spanish, borrowed from Nahuatl.