The Tortilleria Factory, a small tortillería and kitchen tucked into an alley in downtown McAllen, Texas, still grinds its own corn into masa on a molino, CNN en Español reported on Oct. 30. The shop takes cash only, and much of its furniture and machinery dates from the last century, the network reported.

Texas Highways, which says the business is commonly called El Pocito, reported in 2024 that it was founded in 1935 by Aurelio Balli Tijerina and Herminia Gonzalez Balli and that it is one of the only places in South Texas still using nixtamal, corn soaked in water and cal (powdered limestone), rather than processed corn flour. Owner Irma González told CNN she believes the building itself dates to about 1912.

González has owned the business for about 20 years, CNN reported. It first belonged to the godmother of one of her sisters, then passed to that sister and then to González, who had worked there as a young woman as a waitress and tortilla maker. Her three daughters now work alongside her, making corn and flour tortillas and gorditas by hand. KRGV reported in 2024 that the day starts at 5 a.m. with cooking and washing the corn, and that tortillas are pressed in a cast-iron press, shaped by hand and cooked on a large comal. "It has not lost its tradition because everything is the same," González told the station.

The shop is under pressure. González told CNN that corn and other supplies cost more every time she shops, but that she has kept her prices the same so she doesn't lose customers, leaving her with little margin. She also said immigration enforcement in the area has kept many people at home and that some downtown stores have closed, so there are days when the shop is nearly empty.

Companies The Tortilleria Factory

Read the release / full story at CNN en Español; Texas Highways; KRGV