I was very lucky to live with a family who still make their own corn tortillas. Here Graciela is patting out the round shape with her hands before slapping it down onto the comal with the others. I tried making a few, and they turned out approximately round, tho much thicker than hers. They were cooked and thrown into the towel-lined basket along with the rest, tho at lunch I picked mine out and ate them so as not to subject the rest of the family to imperfect tortillas. I asked how long it takes a girl to perfect this... they start around 12 yrs old and depending on how often they practice, it can be 3-6 months before the girls are making consistently round and thin tortillas by hand. Ok, I don't feel so bad that my first 3 were pathetic.
The bottom photo shows the corn mash (I think it's called masa at this stage), a bowl of water to wash hands between each tortilla so they don't stick to your hands, some of the finished tortillas in a towel-lined basket and the comal cooking griddle elevated above an open fire in the courtyard of the houses.
