Name Ignacio Anaya Died 1975 | Role Inventor | |
Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya (c. 1894 – 1975) was a Mexican restaurateur credited as the inventor of nachos.
Anaya was living in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, across the border from Eagle Pass, Texas, USA, and had a restaurant called the El Moderno there, when he invented nachos and served them at the restaurant as "Nacho's Especiales". The original form of nachos, as made by Nacho Anaya, included fried tortilla chips topped with melted cheese and jalapenos.
Anaya died at age 81 in 1975. Anaya's son, Ignacio Anaya Jr., (1935-2010) and daughter, Stephanie Bahner (1945-current), lived in Eagle Pass, Texas and gave several interviews about his father, stating that Mamie Finan was the woman who named it Nachos Especiales after being served the snack with several friends.