You’re probably holding one right now. Or maybe you're just thinking about that silver-foil-wrapped brick of joy sitting in your fridge. It’s heavy, it’s comforting, and it’s basically the universal language of a late-night craving. But if you stop and look at that massive flour tortilla stuffed with rice, beans, guac, and carnitas, you have to wonder: where did the burrito originate? It's not as simple as pointing to a map.
Most people assume it’s a modern American invention, a "Tex-Mex" creation birthed in a San Francisco mission or a Texas kitchen. Others swear it’s ancient Aztec soul food. The reality? It’s a bit of both, mixed with a healthy dose of Mexican revolution folklore and some very specific regional geography. If you go to Mexico City and ask for a burrito, you might get a confused look. If you go to Ciudad Juárez, you’ll find the holy grail.
The Myth of Juan Méndez and His Donkey
Let’s talk about the donkey.
The word "burrito" literally translates to "little donkey" in Spanish. Why? Well, the most popular legend traces back to the Mexican Revolution (roughly 1910-1920). There was a street vendor in the Bella Vista neighborhood of Ciudad Juárez named Juan Méndez.
Méndez wanted to keep his food warm while transporting it across the Rio Grande to sell to hungry folks on the border. He realized that if he wrapped meat and beans in large flour tortillas, the dough acted like a portable, edible thermal blanket. He loaded these bundles onto his donkey, and soon, people were looking for the "food of the burrito."
It’s a great story. It feels right. But here’s the kicker: the word "burrito" appeared in the Diccionario de Mexicanismos as early as 1895, long before Méndez and his donkey were a thing.
The entry in that dictionary specifically describes a "rolled tortilla with meat or other ingredients inside, also called cocito in Yucatán and taco in the city of Cuernavaca and in Mexico." This proves that while Méndez might have popularized them or given them a specific border flair, the concept—and the name—predates the revolution. The "little donkey" name likely comes from the way the rolled tortilla resembles a donkey's ear or the packs they carried.
It’s All About the Flour (The Sonora Connection)
You can't talk about where did the burrito originate without talking about wheat.
Standard Mexican tacos use corn. That’s the backbone of Mesoamerican diet. But the burrito? That requires a flour tortilla. Corn tortillas are delicious, but they’re brittle. If you try to roll a massive 12-inch corn tortilla into a tube, it’s going to shatter like glass.
Flour came with the Spanish. When they brought wheat to the northern states of Mexico—specifically Sonora and Chihuahua—the local climate proved perfect for it. The people in these northern regions, the Norteños, developed a distinct culinary identity separate from the corn-centric south. They created the tortilla de harina. These were soft, pliable, and could be stretched thin.
Basically, the burrito is a child of the North. It’s a frontier food. It was designed for vaqueros (cowboys) and laborers who needed a meal that wouldn’t spill while they were on the move.
The Mission Burrito: An American Evolution
If you go to a traditional stall in Sonora today, your burrito won't look like a Chipotle bowl wrapped in bread. It’ll be thin. It’ll probably just have one or two ingredients—maybe just machaca (dried beef) or beans and cheese.
The "Mission Style" burrito is where things got weird.
In the 1960s, in the Mission District of San Francisco, restaurants like El Faro and La Cumbre started super-sizing the concept. They added rice. They added sour cream. They added enough salsa to drown a small village. This was the birth of the "silver bullet."
- Febronio Ontiveros claims he sold the first "super" burrito at El Faro in 1961.
- Raul and Michaela Duran at La Cumbre claim they were the originators around the same time.
Whoever did it, they changed the DNA of the dish. They turned a simple regional Mexican snack into a full-blown meal that could feed a family of four. This version is what most of the world recognizes today. It's an Americanized evolution of a Northern Mexican staple.
Regional Variations You Need to Know
Honesty time: not all burritos are created equal.
If you’re traveling through Mexico, you’ll notice the term isn't used everywhere. In many parts of the country, they’re just called tacos de harina. But in the north, they hold the line.
In Sonora, the "Burro Percherón" is the king. These are massive, often wrapped in "sobaquera" tortillas (tortillas as long as an arm). They usually feature grilled steak, avocado, and cheese. No rice. No beans. Just meat and fat.
Then there’s the Breakfast Burrito. That’s a New Mexico pride point. While northern Mexicans have eaten eggs in tortillas for centuries, the specific branding of the "Breakfast Burrito" is often credited to Tia Sophia’s in Santa Fe in the 1970s. They were the ones who put it on a formal menu, usually smothered in green chile.
Why the Rice Debate Matters
Ask a burrito purist about rice, and you’ll get a lecture.
In Mexico, rice is a side dish. Putting it inside the tortilla is often seen as a "filler" tactic used by American chains to save money on meat. However, in the Mission style, the rice absorbs the juices from the beans and meat, creating a structural integrity that allows the burrito to stand up on its own.
It’s a fundamental split in the history of the dish. Do you want a slender, elegant Northern Mexican burrito, or a Californian behemoth?
The Real Timeline
- Pre-Colonial times: Indigenous peoples in Mexico were already wrapping foods in corn tortillas (tacos), but the "burrito" as we know it didn't exist yet.
- 1500s-1600s: Spanish bring wheat to Northern Mexico.
- Late 1800s: The term "burrito" appears in print, specifically linked to Guanajuato and the North.
- 1910s: Popularity surges during the Mexican Revolution as a portable soldier's meal.
- 1930s: The burrito crosses the border into the U.S. formally. El Cholo Spanish Cafe in Los Angeles is often cited as one of the first to put it on a U.S. menu in 1930.
- 1960s: The Mission Burrito is born in San Francisco, introducing the "everything but the kitchen sink" style.
Finding Authenticity in the Modern World
If you want to experience the true origin, you have to look for the "Burrito de Ciudad Juárez."
It’s simple. It’s usually smaller than the American version. The flour tortilla is slightly toasted on a comal until it has those beautiful brown "leopard spots." The filling is often guisado—a slow-cooked stew of pork in salsa verde or beef in red chile.
There’s no lettuce. There’s no "fajita veggies."
It’s just dough and soul.
So, where did the burrito originate? It started as a practical solution for Northern Mexican laborers who had wheat instead of corn and needed a way to carry their lunch. It was a regional specialty that was largely ignored by the rest of Mexico for decades until Americans fell in love with it and blew it up to gargantuan proportions.
How to Eat a Burrito Like an Expert
Stop settling for mediocre wraps. If you want to honor the history of this dish, you have to know what to look for.
📖 Related: Why the Black and Tan Drink is Way More Complicated Than You Think
- Check the Tortilla: If it’s cold or tastes like raw flour, walk away. A real burrito requires a tortilla that has been heated until it’s stretchy and slightly charred.
- The "Structural Integrity" Test: A well-wrapped burrito should not require a fork. If it falls apart the second you peel the foil, the "roll" was poorly executed.
- Seek Out Northern Style: Look for places that advertise "Sonoran style" or "Chihuahuan style." This is where you’ll find the closest thing to the 19th-century origins.
- Don't Fear the Lard: Authentic flour tortillas are made with lard. It’s what gives them that specific flavor and flexibility.
- Salsa on the Side: In the Mission style, everything is inside. In the traditional style, you dip or pour as you go. This keeps the tortilla from getting soggy.
Next time you’re at a taco truck, skip the standard street tacos for a day. Order a simple bean and cheese burrito or a deshebrada (shredded beef). Take a bite and think about those 19th-century vaqueros in the dusty North. They weren't trying to start a global food revolution; they were just trying to eat their lunch with one hand. Turns out, they changed the world.