Acotzilli, Acocilli
The name of this crustacean comes from the Náhuatl word of cuitzilli, meaning ‘crooked one of the water’ or ‘squirms in the water.’ Of the various species of crawfish (members of the Cambarellus genus), ten species are distributed throughout Mexico. One, Cambarellus montezumae, is an endemic species of the central plateau of Mexico. This freshwater crustacean has a range that also extends from Lake Chapala, Jalisco to the crater lakes of Puebla. This species is small in size, with a total length of 30 to 50 mm.
Since the pre-Hispanic times, the Aztecs and the other indigenous groups living around the Basin of Mexico, with its abundance of acociles, have consumed these boiled or baked crawfish as part of their daily diet. At present, some indigenous groups established around the Lerma River capture and consume it. Although it is a species of great distribution that is very familiar to the inhabitants of the various regions who regularly consume it, it has been less studied than other species. This crawfish is different from the other species of freshwater decapod also known as acocil (or “burrito shrimp” or reculillas), which lives in the bodies of water of Oaxaca and Veracruz: the Procambarus (Austrocambarus) acanthophorus.
Acociles were an important food source for the ancient inhabitants of central and southern Mexico, an essential part of the food culture of Mexicas or Aztecs. It is said that before the establishment of the Cutzmala System, which supplies water to Mexico City, the Toluca Valley was a lakeside where the course of the Lerma River is. This area was densely populated with species suitable for human consumption and from the ditches they were able to gather important species such as frogs, acociles and leafy green vegetables that provided much of local diet. The crawfish were certainly considered such an exquisite food that at one time they were the symbol of traditional tacos from the area. Acociles can also be prepared in salads, tamales, fish sauces, and the very traditional molcajete. However, due to urbanization and increased water consumption in their habitat found in the Toluca Valley, the native acociles have been drastically affected and are in potential danger of extinction. They have already become rare sights in local street markets, sold at higher prices, meaning that their use in preparing traditional cuisine is also in decline.
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