Tlilxochitl into vainilla — how a Mesoamerican orchid pod got its world name

A Mexico imprint of 1615 describes the vine the Nahua called tlilxochitl and says the plant takes its name from its pods, the "vainillas"; a Madrid treatise of 1631 prints the chocolate recipe that puts three of those pods into the drink, and reports that everyone used them. Both are read from the page. A 2024 review supplies why the plant would not fruit elsewhere for two more centuries, and why the history of the fix is disputed.