Maria Elena Ball, “Mexico en Alaska was like my family”
by georgina arias avila
Maria Elena arrived in Anchorage in the summer of 1968. “I was 28 years old. After three months, I was enchanted by the nature of Alaska. It reminded me of my hometown in Mexico.”
A journey from Texas to Alaska shaped Maria Elena Ball’s destiny with the creation of the Mexico en Alaska taqueria, which later became a full-fledged restaurant. After 54 years of service, Mexico en Alaska closed its doors on September 19 of last year, leaving the mark of home-style cooking in the hearts of thousands of diners who enjoyed its Mexican cuisine.
“The restaurant was like my family; the customers knew my life, and I knew theirs. If they came back to the restaurant twice, they were already members of that family,” Ball said.
Maria Elena was born in Zitácuaro, Michoacán, Mexico. “My father, Manuel Correa, came from Mexico and took my mother, Minerva, who lived in Texas, to Michoacán. We lived there until they divorced. Then, my mother brought us with her to the United States. I was 14 years old,” she recounted.
Ball inherited the art of cooking authentic Mexican food from her mother and added her own style. “I had a little bit of everything from Mexico. The favorite dishes at my restaurant were chicken mole, chiles rellenos, and pork carnitas; in addition to the special tacos with goat, tongue, chicken al pastor, and carne asada. At that time, Americans only knew the food from Texas, California, or New Mexico. They are very tasty, but not in the home-style way, and that helped me gradually introduce new flavors.”
Maria Elena arrived in Anchorage in the summer of 1968. “I was 28 years old. After three months, I was enchanted by the nature of Alaska. It reminded me of my hometown in Mexico.”
Ball found employment, but she didn’t want to work for other people for the rest of her life. “My goal was to buy my house first. Then, it took me three jobs and two years to open the Mexico en Alaska taqueria, it opened in 1972. It was a small space on Mountain View Dr.; I was there for 11 years. We grew as a business, and in 1983, I opened my restaurant, which was located on Old Seward Hwy. I saw five generations enjoying my food.” She says that the restaurant “allowed me to take care of my mother, my siblings, their children, everyone. The food I served wasn’t a commercial success, but it gave me everything I needed.”
Maria Elena married a military lieutenant. “He was from Texas, he came to Alaska and said to me, ‘I’m not going to take you away from here, am I?’ ‘No, I’m staying here,’ I replied. And he stayed.” Although they are now divorced. Over time, Maria Elena experienced other joys, including the birth of her daughter, Teresa J. Ball. At 85 years old, she maintains that “I have always been happy in Alaska, with endless problems, which are part of life. I have always had a human angel that God has granted me. I had a lot of help in many ways, and I have been very fortunate.” In 2011, she lost her 37-year-old daughter. “Life was never the same for me after that.” Her sister also settled in Alaska, got married, and had four children. Today, Maria Elena lives with her great-niece Adriana and her young daughter, Georgia. Although she has the ailments typical of her age, she wants to continue doing something for others, such as volunteering at Catholic Charities or at the Anchorage hospital.
