Guide to iconic places in Mexico City / El Moro, churros passed down through generations
Sometimes my parents would crave El Moro's churros. When we would go there, they would tell me about how they used to go with their parents, and I didn't quite understand the devotion they had for the place.
By Jajo Crespo / Photos: Facebook El Moro
It didn't make sense to me to travel from the State of Mexico to the Historic Center of Mexico City just to eat churros. I finally understood it many years later when my parents moved away and one day I found myself craving churros from El Moro. What's at stake when you go to El Moro is memory, tradition, being able to say to your companion, "here's where I used to come with my dad, and when my dad was young, he came with my grandfather."
This story, though mine, I know will be similar to that of many others from the central region of the country. El Moro must have made an imprint on the memories of many people, for its tradition, its expansion, and its almost 90 years of existence. El Moro was created by Francisco Iriarte, a Spaniard who arrived in Mexico around 1933 and two years later began selling churros from a cart. His business had a dual motivation: to be an ambassador of his country's cuisine and to ease his own nostalgia. Although he made a couple of modifications to the "form" of the churro (in the Iberian Peninsula they don't add sugar and they are usually dipped in thick, bitter chocolate).
Despite small changes like adding sugar and skipping the chocolate (perhaps for practicality, considering the business started from a cart), Francisco Iriarte kept the name. In his hometown of Elizondo, they called a famous churro vendor "El Moro" during town festivals.
The first El Moro branch was located at number 42 on the old San Juan de Letrán street (now Eje Central). That's where Francisco gained his fame, which unfortunately didn't last long as he passed away in 1940. After his death, three of his brothers (José, Ignacio, and Santiago) came to Mexico to take over the business, and history indicates they did it well: El Moro became an iconic spot in Mexico City and gradually expanded with more branches.
At El Moro on Eje Central, famous figures like Margarito, Cantinflas, Resortes, María Victoria, Carlos Fuentes, Octavio Paz, Dolores Olmedo, etc., have enjoyed a churro. Not long ago, it made news that the former Mexican chancellor Marcelo Ebrard held a security meeting at the main El Moro location, and no one could blame him. It's often said that troubles are less burdensome with churros, or something like that.
