Paletas

It is most likely that Rafael Malfavón, a resident of the pueblo of Tocumbo, Michoacán, made the first paletas (ice pops) in the 1930s and sold them to residents of surrounding villages, transporting the paletas in wooden crates carried by donkeys. Other accounts credit two other Tocumbans, Agustín Andrade and Ignacio Alcázar, for the development of the informal “chain” of La Michoacana paleterías still known today for their state of origin. The two men, the story goes, moved to Mexico City in the 1940s, each opening competing shops all over the city. Today, many La Michoacana owners pride themselves on a direct family link to the original founders through a tío (uncle) or other relative from Michoacán. La Michoacana stores can be found throughout Mexico and in many places in the United States where there is a sizable Mexican immigrant community. Neither a brand nor a franchise, these retail sellers are independent businesses that take pride in linking their shops to the origin of the paleta.