Tortilla cooking classes from Oaxaca sell out in L.A.

People who want to learn how to make rainbow tortillas from Oaxaca, Mexico, in Los Angeles may be out of luck because all classes are sold out. 

The classes will be held at Sidóh Cafe in West L.A. and Virginia Avenue Park. They will teach about the ancestral process of nixtamalizing maíz, naturally dyeing masas, grinding on metates (stone grinders), pressing tortillas into shapes, mosaics and messages. They'll also make some salsas and end the class sampling the corn-based meal.

Rainbow tortillas classes were created by Lily, who was born and raised in Santa Monica, California, according to their event page.

She moved to Oaxaca in 2013 where she created Zapotec Travel by Lily, a woman-owned and led sustainable travel company in Oaxaca where travelers center Indigenous voices to experience Oaxaca, and learn how to best observe traditions as a guest in their communities and support these businesses. 

An estimated 200,000 Zapotec people are living in L.A., according to Raúl Hinojosa-Ojeda, UCLA professor of Chicana and Chicano studies. 

Zapotec Travel offers single & multi-day tours, a bed and breakfast and a native corn smoke kitchen.