Calle Mezquite

The mesquite is a tree of dry lands, of the genus Prosopis, that thrives in the scrub and arid plains of Mexico and the southwestern United States. It withstands drought with roots that sink tens of meters seeking water, gives a light shade of fine leaves and loads its young branches with thorns. Its Spanish name comes from the Nahuatl mizquitl, a word that traveled with the conquest and stuck to the tree. From its sweet pods the peoples of northern Mexico ground flour and fermented drinks; from its hard wood come the charcoals that still perfume grills today. Why Madrid chose this American name for a short street in southern Arganzuela, near Méndez Álvaro, has gone undocumented. The street lines up with other tree signs nearby, such as Tejo and Tamarindo. Whoever walks it will find the sign of a tree that would never take root in Arganzuela’s climate, brought from the deserts across the Atlantic only to name the asphalt.