Chilaquiles are a traditional Mexican dish originating in Aztec culture centuries ago. The name is derived from an Aztec Nahuatl word that meant “chilis and greens.” Chilaquiles are a very common meal for Mexican families to this day and are said to have been first brought to America in 1898 in a cookbook titled “The Spanish Cook”. This was the first cookbook in the United States to have been written by a Hispanic person. The book also contains the first recorded recipes of 'Californio food', which was Mexican cuisine made by the Spanish-speaking peoples born in California, and a peek into the daily lives of a long-ago culture that still has a very significant influence on our food today.