Oaxacan Christmas

Maria de Jesus, second from left in blue apron, with her daughters Bricia Lopez, left, Elizabeth Lopez, center, and Paulina Lopez Velasquez while making a classic Oaxacan Christmas meal.

Ingredients for Christmas ponche, including, clockwise from top left, tejocotes, peeled tamarind, whole guava, cut guava, cut apples and sugar cane sticks, center, made by Maria de Jesus and her family.

Ingredients for Christmas ponche, including cinnamon, prunes, dry hibiscus flowers, raisins, apples, whole guava, peeled tamarind, cut guava, tejocote, sugar and piloncillo.

A traditional Christmas ponche, with fruits, cinnamon and sugar.

Ingredients for poblano chile spaghetti, including milk, garlic, Mexican cream, poblano peppers, onions and parsley.

Poblano peppers are roasted to make poblano chile spaghetti.

Poblano chile peppers are peeled after being roasted in the making of poblano chile spaghetti.

Maria de Jesus stirs her poblano chile spaghetti.

A mural shows the family’s Guelaguetza restaurant, as well as Bricia Lopez’s parents’ home in Mexico, in her son’s room.

Maria de Jesus makes tamale de frijol.

Maria de Jesus makes tamale de mole.

Bricia Lopez steams banana leaves for her mother’s tamales de mole.

Maria de Jesus holds a banana leaf-wrapped tamale de mole.

Mole tamales wrapped in banana leaves.

Some bottles of mezcal on display in Bricia Lopez’s kitchen. Lopez says of mezcal, “My dad was a mezcal maker when we lived in Oaxaca. My grandfather was also a mezcal maker and my great-grandfather harvested agave. Most of my family on my dad’s side is still in the mezcal business to this day. When I was a little girl, my first job was in my dad’s mezcal store at 7 years old. Mezcal is in my blood and has been my drink of choice all my life.”

Guajillo peppers are boiled for making barbacoa de pollo.

Barbacoa de pollo, combining tomatoes, guajillo peppers, white onion, garlic cloves, cinnamon sticks, cloves, pepper, cumin, dry oregano, thyme, bay leave and dried avocado leaves.

A Christmas salad of Mexican cream, sugar, carrots, raisins, apples and pineapple.

Bricia Lopez, right, works on removing garlic cloves with family friend Anita Garcia.

Krista Xanii Velasquez, 4, daughter of Paulina Lopez Velasquez, helped keep her aunt’s dog busy while the family created a classic Oaxacan Christmas meal.

Bricia Lopez eats her mother’s barbacoa de pollo.

Tamales de frijol and Mexican candies on the dining room table.

Fernando Lopez, left, and Maria de Jesus make their plates with daughters Bricia Lopez, second from right, and Elizabeth Lopez, far right, after making the meal.

Bricia Lopez holds her 8-month-old son, Eduardo Santiago Maytorena IV, during a family gathering at her Los Angeles home.

Mexican candies decorate the table.