Esperanza,
These tamales were a recent addition to our family that is within the last 25 years or so. We learned that from the families in Ensenada.
My mom is and has always been an excellent cook but she didn't make tamales with all these ingredients. I believe that in addition to economics, family culture also is very telling in how a family cooks and eats.
In my mom's family, everyone prides themselves in their culinary skills. My mother is renowned for her mole, pozole, tortas de camaron con nopales, capirotada, all types of atoles. Atole de piña, de maizcena, atole blanco etc. My mom has this great dish that she makes called patas de puerco en salsa cruda. It's labor intensive but oh sooo good. She makes this agua fresca with romaine lettuce, fresh orange slices, lemon slices, sugar and yerba buena and other fruits if desired and is served only in the summer when it's very hot. She lets the ingredients sit in the very cold water for a couple of hours and is served in a tall