Concepción Cervantes y Eguiluz
Concepción Cervantes y Eguiluz, known as Doña Conchita, is the founder of El Tizoncito, the Mexico City taquería that claims to have created the taco al pastor.
Biography
Cervantes was a widowed mother of four working as a secretary when, on 2 February 1966, she opened a taquería in Colonia Condesa to make ends meet. According to the account published by her family's business, she was inspired by the shawarma of the Lebanese restaurants in downtown Mexico City and adapted it by using cheaper pork, a red marinade and a pineapple crowning the spit. The family story adds that the spit's shape recalled a spinning top her son played with, and that she lit the trompo to show passers-by when tacos were available.
The invention claim is the restaurant's own and is disputed by other early al pastor sellers. The business she founded, El Tizoncito, grew to about 20 branches. In 2024 she was honored at the Salón del Empresario for her contribution to Mexican gastronomy.
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See also
References
- "Así nació el taco al pastor: degusta su auténtico sabor en El Tizoncito". Publimetro. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- "El Tizoncito Condesa II". Chilango. Retrieved 2026-10-10.