Tacos trace their roots back to ancient Mexico, long before Spanish colonization. Indigenous peoples were wrapping food in tortillas—usually maize (corn)—as a practical way to hold and eat meat, beans, or vegetables. The word “taco” itself likely came later and originally referred to something more like a “plug” or “wad,” possibly inspired by 18th-century Mexican silver miners who used paper-wrapped gunpowder—also called “tacos”—to blast holes in rock.

By the late 1800s and early 1900s, tacos were a staple street food in Mexican cities. When Mexican migrants brought tacos to the U.S. in the early 20th century, they began to evolve. Fast food chains like Taco Bell (founded in 1962) helped mainstream a very Americanized version, using ground beef, shredded cheese, and hard shells.

Today, tacos have exploded into a global phenomenon—still deeply tied to their Mexican origins, but endlessly reinvented across cultures, cuisines, and creativity.