WHO is ‘Montezuma’ and WHY is he so mad at my butt?

“‘Montezuma’s Revenge’ is nothing more than good, old fashioned, American diarrhea.” 

Travel agent, Waiting for Guffman

Ha! Have you ever heard of Montezuma’s Revenge? It’s what you call a case of diarrhea that you get while traveling . . . so it’s also sometimes called Traveler’s Diarrhea.

Your large intestine usually removes water from the food you’re digesting. But if that food is too spicy or if your body realizes that it has harmful toxins in it, something else happens: Diarrhea!

Travelers often get diarrhea because they are being exposed to food, germs, and bacteria that they don’t ordinarily eat.

One of the most popular destinations for U.S. travelers is Mexico. And Montezuma (or “Moctezuma”) was an Aztec leader there about 500 years ago. 

Since the Spanish conquered Montezuma and destroyed his empire, the idea is that Aztec ruler now gets his revenge by making people sprint to the bathroom where they groan in pain and use LOTS of toilet paper.

And that’s why diarrhea from Mexico is also called the “Aztec two-step”!

Nurse image from RedStamp.com.